Alhacen’s treatment of light and sight in the De aspectibus culminates with the analysis of refraction in Book 7. As with the earlier publications in the series, these final volumes give readers a critical edition of the Latin text of Book 7, with translation, notes, and an extensive introduction explaining the contents of the treatise. Mark Smith’s work on Alhacen is one of the great contributions to the history of science of our time and will be of great use to scholars for many years to come.
 
The completion of the Latin version of Alhacen’s De Aspectibus represents a monumental achievement in the history of optical theory. The influence of this work on the Perspectivist tradition in the West cannot be underestimated. Professor Smith’s edition and translation will take its place alongside other essential texts in the history of optics by Roger Bacon and John Pecham, both of whom were influenced by Alhacen.
Richard Newhauser
Professor of English
Arizona State University
 
Mark Smith’s publication of the Latin version of Ibn al-Haytham's Optics is one of the great contributions to the history of science of our time. The edition is based upon an exhaustive examination of the manuscripts, the translation of the difficult, and at times obscure, text. It is a model of clarity, and the introduction and commentary are exemplary in placing the work within the history of optics and explaining its technicalities and difficulties. This is a work of scholarship that will endure and be consulted for ages.
Noel Swerdlow
Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics and of History
University of Chicago
Visiting Professor, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences
California Institute of Technology
 

2010 J. F. LEWIS AWARD WINNER