Last Sunday, the Sheridan Libraries at Hopkins announced the opening of Eureka!: Rare Books in the History of Scientific Discovery at the George Peabody Library. The exhibition is a selection from the Dr. Elliott and Eileen Hinkes Collection, which totals over 300 items.
The exhibition, which runs until Feb. 29, was curated by Dr. Earle Havens, William Kurrelmeyer Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Sheridan Libraries, and Hanna Roman and Simon Thode, two PhD candidates in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
Spanning over 2,000 years in scientific history, the exhibition focuses on the "Eureka!" moments that have shaped our understanding of science. Highlights from the collection include 27 works of Albert Einstein, including the first printed formulation of E=mc2, a first edition of Galileo's illustrated treatise on the discovery of sunspots and a first edition of Sir Isaac Newton's monumental treatise on gravitation, Principia Mathematica.
While the exhibition focuses on scientific discoveries, the pieces are both historical primary source documents and pieces of art. Many pieces contain signatures and marginal notes from the authors.
"The books are so many things at once," Havens said. "They're not just works of science, but works of art."
The collection was assembled by Dr. Elliott Hinkes, who graduated from Hopkins's School of Arts and Sciences in 1964 and the School of Medicine in 1967.
Hinkes, who died in 2009, had a private practice in Los Angeles, specializing in medical oncology and hematology. He was also an Associate Clinical Professor at University of California Los Angeles. The Sheridan Libraries acquired the collection last fall.
Hinkes gathered his collection over the span of two decades. His particular interest was in physics and astronomy, but his 300-piece collection contains works from many disciplines, including mathematics, planetary science, meteorology, biology, chemistry and optics.
In 2004, Hinkes curated a small exhibition of his books at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library.
"It's really one of the most important donations to ever come to Hopkins," Havens said.
The exhibition progresses through four states in scientific history: Natural Philosophy and the Dawn of Science, The Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment: The Age of Reason and Science in the Modern World. Museum-goers can start with the beginning of the scientific method all the way to more recent scientific discoveries.
"It's a pretty stunning and magnificent collection," Paul Espinosa, George Peabody Library Assistant, said. "These original artifacts are important in the continued rediscovery of knowledge. You could hold them digitally, but to see this huge boom of knowledge in such slight artifacts is amazing."
Espinosa notes that the exhibition is especially unique because of the student involvement of Roman and Thode, PhD candidates in the Department of German and Romance Languages and Literatures and the Department of the History of Science and Technology, respectively. Roman and Thode worked with Havens to curate the exhibition and produce a catalogue published by The Ascenius Press.
"It was great to be able to bring them in," Espinosa said. "The library is not just a place to store knowledge. How often does a student get to handle a piece by Einstein? The library is integral to the teaching of the University."
Last Sunday, the Peabody Library was crowded with people admiring the exhibit's works. Over 200 people RSVPed to the exhibition's opening. Dr. Matt Mountain, Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, spoke at the event.
"The exhibition enclosed the entire revolution, and more importantly, true scientific method, which has transformed the world," Mountain said. "Hinkes collected each discovery. It's like a DNA trace of the entire scientific revolution. It's incredible to see the original publications."
The exhibition is not just for the Hopkins community. Brain Shields, Communications and Marketing Manager for the Sheridan Libraries, said the collection is meant to inspire students, faculty and the greater community and world.
"We are working now with area libraries (city and county) and schools to get families and school kids to come see the materials," Shields said in an email to The News-Letter.
"These are some pretty spectacular items, and I think our hope (and indeed, the hope of the donor, the late Dr. Elliott Hinkes) is to share them as widely as possible. He truly wanted these books to serve as tools and inspiration for research not simply trophies."
The George Peabody Library puts on one or two exhibits per year, which are open to the public.
"It's a lot of work," Espinosa said. "Exhibits are costly and time-consuming. But that's how curators and librarians learn the most."
One recent exhibition was on H.L. Menken, a Baltimore-born writer. While the exhibition was very popular because of its Baltimore roots, Espinosa predicted Eureka! will surpass other exhibitions in terms of popularity.
"Our expectations are high," he said. "It's such a magnificent collection. You can keep coming back. We want the public to realize the Peabody Library is a source for learning."
Several Hopkins students attended the exhibition's opening.
"It was incredible to see so many documents of historical significance," freshman Vanessa Pan said. "It was really, really cool."
Espinosa hopes the public will take away the significance of the collection, as well as be inspired.
"We want to show how much knowledge is packaged in a small item," Espinosa said. "We want to show our appreciation of the donors who took time to collect these items, and continue the same idea by introducing students to the significance of the collection."
Havens recognizes the exhibit as a unique and rare opportunity.
"You can't see these books in one room anywhere else in the world," Havens said.
