ORIGINS OF MODERNITY

natural philosophy

Boyle, Robert (1627-1691)
The general history of the air
London : Printed for Awnsham and John Churchill ..., 1692

Boyle's General History of the Air was published posthumously in the year following the author's death. The philosopher and friend of Boyle, John Locke, saw it through the press. While the work is a little disjointed, it does contain a number of features which are worthy of note. First, it is a Baconian-style natural history; a collection of observations and testimonies on the nature of the air. Second, it contains some of Locke's weather records and an 'Advertisement to the Reader' by Locke. Third, it reflects Boyle's interest in the relation between the air and epidemics. The manuscript for the book survives amongst Locke's papers in the Lovelace Collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.