In the crucible of intellectual change that took place in the seventeenth
century, the role of Samuel Hartlib was of immense significance. Hartlib
(originally from Elbing) settled in England permanently from the late 1620s
until his death in 1662. His aspirations formed a distinctive and influential
strand in English intellectual life during those revolutionary decades. This
volume reflects the variety of the theoretical and practical interests of
Hartlib's circle and presents them in their continental context.