Out of Scope: Unexpected Titles in the Rare Book Collections

Giambattista della Porta (1535-1615) was an Italian scholar and polymath during the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution. One of the earliest examples of natural history museums, his private museum was widely visited by travelers, even inspiring Athanasius Kircher to later create a similar but even more famous collection in Rome.

Della Porta also wrote on a large variety of subjects, such as optics, astronomy, magic, and even an agricultural encyclopedia. His works on physiognomy, the study of people’s facial features and physical attributes, would later influence 19th century criminologist Cesare Lombroso.