Worlds Unfolding: Science on the Page
A breathtaking visual history of humanity’s quest for knowledge from the dawn of print to the Space Age.
This five-volume boxed set, containing more than 600 lavish illustrations, is the first major publication focused on The Huntington’s extraordinary collections in science, medicine, and technology. Through word and image, the books provoke questions fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge across time and place.
Full-page spread from Worlds Unfolding. Illustration at left: Atlas photographique de la lune, 1896–1910, by Maurice Loewy and Pierre Henri Puiseux. Photo at right by Heather Rasmussen includes a stereograph titled Full Moon, ca. 1875, by Henry Draper; Lunar globe, 1969, by Denoyer-Geppert Company; Astronomicum caesareum, 1540, by Peter Apian.
About the Book
Humans are seekers, forever striving to make sense of the multiple worlds in which we live: the skies above, the depths below, earthbound environments, and the body itself. Worlds Unfolding explores these realms of curiosity through The Huntington Library’s collections in science, medicine, and technology spanning from the 10th century to today.
An essay by renowned science educator Bill Nye “the Science Guy” introduces the slipcase set. Readers are invited to choose any of the five volumes to begin their journey. There is no prescribed path to explore the stories unfolding across these pages.
“These volumes carry visual and verbal descriptions of humankind’s biggest ideas and an astounding number of the remarkable objects we’ve created. They are extraordinary.”
—Bill Nye, Introduction to Worlds Unfolding: Science on the Page
Above
Astronomy, aviation, aerospace
Below
Geology, mining, oceanography
Beyond
Exploration, science fiction
Within
Anatomy, medicine, electricity
Alive
Natural history, ecosystems
The Huntington Store
Bring the collections home
Explore centuries of scientific inquiry through Worlds Unfolding: Science on the Page. This five-volume boxed set features more than 600 illustrations from The Huntington’s extraordinary collections in science, medicine, and technology.
Meet the Authors
Jennifer A. Watts, senior curator for library special projects at The Huntington, is the author of award-winning publications, including Nineteen Nineteen and A Strange and Fearful Interest.
Daniel Lewis, Dibner Senior Curator for the History of Science and Technology at The Huntington, is an environmental historian whose work explores science, nature, and culture.
Joel A. Klein, Molina Curator for the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences at The Huntington, is a scholar whose research focuses on early modern medicine and science.
Natalie Lawler, assistant curator of library special projects at The Huntington, is a visual artist whose research explores the technology and language of color.
Explore More
Strange Science
A related public program exploring unusual, surprising, and imaginative histories of science.
Stories from the Library: “The Mirror of the Moon”
From Galileo’s observations to science fiction and spaceflight, explore how the moon has inspired science and imagination.
“Worlds Unfolding”—The Exhibition
Coming in 2029A planned exhibition under the same title will bring together rare books, manuscripts, scientific instruments, and other artifacts when the Library Exhibition Halls reopen as part of The Huntington’s Library/Art Building project.
Flight Path
From the Burndy Library to Worlds Unfolding
In 2006, The Huntington received the Burndy Library, a landmark gift that transformed the institution’s holdings in the history of science and technology. Assembled by Bern Dibner—an electrical engineer, inventor, and scholar—the Burndy Library includes rare books and archival collections documenting centuries of scientific inquiry and technological innovation.
Its strengths range from early mathematics and physics to electricity, engineering, metallurgy, color theory, aeronautics, and the global circulation of scientific ideas. This collection deepened The Huntington’s role as a destination for research and public engagement with the history of science, one that continues to evolve and grow.
About The Huntington Library
The Huntington Library is one of the world’s great independent research libraries, holding 12 million items spanning the 11th through 21st centuries. Researchers from some 30 countries make thousands of visits each year to study rare materials in the Library’s reading rooms. Thousands more use the Library’s virtual services, and millions use its virtual collections. Some 85 Library staff play a crucial role in cultivating and expanding access to the collections, creating new opportunities for discovery and engagement, and ensuring that collections are preserved for the future.