Sachiko Kusukawa Books

Because of their spectacular, naturalistic pictures of plants and the human body, Leonhart Fuchs's De historia stirpium and Andreas Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica are landmark publications in the history of the printed book. The author examines these texts, as well as Conrad Gessner's unpublished Historia plantarum, and demonstrates how their illustrations were integral to the emergence of a new type of argument during this period-a visual argument for the scientific study of nature

Presented as a dialogue between a master and pupil, this work explores the seven liberal arts alongside natural and moral philosophy. As the first extensive printed text on university disciplines, it aims to educate and engage readers in a comprehensive understanding of these foundational subjects. Its format encourages interaction and reflection, making complex ideas accessible to a wider audience. The Philosophic Pearl serves as a significant historical document in the evolution of educational literature.

A revisionist biography of Andreas Vesalius--the father of modern anatomy--as deeply shaped by Renaissance culture. In 1543 the young and ambitious physician Andreas Vesalius published one of the most famous books in the history of medicine, On the Fabric of the Human Body. While we often think of dissection as destroying the body, Vesalius believed that it helped him understand how to construct the human body. In this book, Sachiko Kusukawa shows how Vesalius's publication emerged from the interplay of Renaissance art, printing technology, and classical tradition. She challenges the conventional view of Vesalius as a proto-modern, anti-authoritarian father of anatomy through a more nuanced account of how Vesalius exploited cultural and technological developments to create a big and beautiful book that propelled him into imperial circles and secured his enduring fame.

The library of the Wittenberg University was established in 1512, and the catalogue edited here was compiled chiefly in 1536, though it also contains additions up to 1547. The aim of this volume is to present a comprehensive study of the library's holdings.