Vermij, Rienk H. (Author)
Nuncius: Annali di Storia della Scienza
Volume: 33
Issue: 2
Pages: 171-197
Historians of science have studied book dedications mostly as an expression of patronage relationships, but this was not their only reason of existence. In the first part of the article, the general functions of book dedications are analyzed. As a starting-point, the article uses one specific, fairly homogenous genre, the academic disputation. Dedicatees fall into three broad categories: parents and relatives, regents and nobles, and professors. The corresponding functions can be defined as: maintaining an existing relationship, asking for specific favors, and enhancing the author’s credibility. The same functions can be recognized in other genres, although with many exceptions and deviations. In the second part of the article, two concrete examples are analyzed in detail, Rheticus’ Narratio prima and Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius. As it appears, rather than follow a consistent strategy, their authors had to navigate between conflicting demands and considerations.
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