Copernicus in Princeton: A Bibliophilic Odyssey Through the Rosenwald Scientific Classics Collection
Friday, May 8, 2026 | 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Rubenstein Commons Meeting Room 5

Early in the twentieth century, collecting historic science editions was in vogue much as fine art collecting is today. Tracing the movement of these volumes can sometimes be as telling as the contents of the volumes themselves. The town of Princeton is particularly favored with five copies of Copernicus' iconic De revolutionibus: four first editions and one second edition. One of these first editions—resident in the Rosenwald Collection at the Institute for Advanced Study—is inscribed with marginalia that allows a glimpse into the movements of the book.

In this talk, Peter Reczek, retired molecular biologist and former New Jersey Commissioner of Science and Technology, will fill in some of the gaps, explaining how societal events in the seventeenth century shaped the movement of the book and how it came to be at IAS. A frequent denizen of rare book collections and Copernican volumes, Reczek has a long-standing interest in the history of Polish mathematics.

Register below to attend.