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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

'Early letters': letters from correspondents in natural philosophy sent to the Royal Society and its Fellows

Reference number: EL

Date: 1613-1740

Description

Incoming letters to the Royal Society via its secretaries, officers and Fellows, on natural philosophy topics.

Generally from the period 1660-1740, but with smaller collections of earlier material; one letter from Galileo dated 1613, two letters dated in the 1630s, one dated 1642, ten items dated to the 1650s (correspondence between Robert Boyle, Henry Oldenburg and John Beale). Some material is not dated.

These papers form the raw material from which the Royal Society's Letter Books and Register Books were compiled and many were published in the 'Philosophical Transactions' of the Royal Society.

The series also contains English translations of foreign language letters, for example from the Dutch of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.

Other document formats, including printed material, have been preserved within this sequence.

Reference number
EL
Earliest possible date
1613-1740
Physical description
Bound volumes in slip cases
Page extent
38 volumes containing 4,390 items
Also available on Early Modern Letters Online
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Citation

'Early letters': letters from correspondents in natural philosophy sent to the Royal Society and its Fellows, 1613-1740, EL, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/el/early-letters-letters-from-correspondents-in-natural-philosophy-sent-to-the-royal-society-and-its-fellows, accessed on 15 September 2024

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/el/early-letters-letters-from-correspondents-in-natural-philosophy-sent-to-the-royal-society-and-its-fellows

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Hierarchy

This volume contains 50 manuscripts:

See all 50 manuscripts

Explore the collection

  • Early Letters

    Dates: 1613-1740

    The archival collection known as 'Early Letters' is composed of original manuscript letters sent to, or collected by, the Royal Society from English and foreign correspondents.

    View collection