About

The story of Galileo reveals the creativity and interconnectedness of human achievement. Galileo’s works illustrate a lifetime of engagement in science, art, literature, music, religion, philosophy, politics and culture. Galileo’s creative achievements live on today and shape our world in significant ways. The interconnectedness of science and culture which characterized Galileo’s world, and which connect Galileo’s world to our own day, remain the common heritage of humanity which we explore in the history of science, in the library, and in the University.

Galileo's History

History of Science Collections

The History of Science Collections of the University of Oklahoma Libraries, located on the 5th floor of Bizzell Memorial Library, is one of the premier research collections in its field. Holdings of nearly 100,000 volumes from every field and subject area of science, technology and medicine range chronologically from Hrabanus Maurus, Opus de universo (1467; right) to current publications in the history of science. The Galileo and Darwin collections illustrate the capacity of the holdings to support research.

The Galileo collection includes all 12 first editions of Galileo, four of which contain his own handwriting. It also includes the first English translation of Galileo, and many other first and later editions of the works of Galileo and his immediate contemporaries in the Accademia dei Lincei.