Divining Science

Warren Alexander Dym, Ph.D. (2005) in History, University of California, Davis, is presently visiting assistant professor at University of Miami. He publishes on German mining and earth science history.

• List of FiguresAcknowledgementsGlossary of Mining and Metallurgical TermsIntroduction1. White Gold on Spitzberg Hill2. Magic, Witchcraft, and the Nature of the Rod3. Mining Science: Vernacular Knowledge4. True Stories of Freiberg Dowsers5. The Murderous Matter: Dowsing and New Science6. The Electric Rod: Dowsing and the Freiberg Mining AcademyConclusionSelected BibliographyIndex

"Dym marshals an impressive array of sources, ranging from mining archives to philosophical treatises, to make his case. He finds, contrary to what we might expect, that the practice of dowsing persisted even as high-profile Enlightenment writers ridiculed it. This disjunction between published mining theory and the practice of prospecting—an incongruity that proved especially striking in Freiberg itself—is one of the revelations of the book." – Andre Wakefield, in: Isis 103/1 (March 2012), pp. 175-177"Full of surprises, not the least of which is the author’s skill in applying a deeper and more generous historiography to the entire scope of his subject than did earlier historians. Among the author’s strengths is his familiarity with past and current work in the histories of mining and geology, and his recognition of the relevance of subjects like alchemy and dowsing to our increasing knowledge of early modern mineral science." – John A. Norris"Warren Dym’s book is a pleasure to read. The story he unfolds is engagingly told and full of rare and often hitherto unused sources, which give a good idea of the daily practice of dowsing and the role and craft skills of dowers in the mining community of Saxony between the time of Agricola and the early years of the Freiberg Mining Academy. … the formal aspect of the book is highly recommendable." – Martina Kölbl-Ebert, in: Metascience [published online 5 July 2011]"Divining Science thus offers considerable treasures for those interested in the relations between magic, science, witchcraft, folklore, and popular culture anywhere in early modern Europe, as well as for those interested in the impacts of increasing state control during this era. The extremely handy one-page ‘‘Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms’’ is in itself a godsend for Germanists. ... highly recommended to all scholars with even a passing interest in any of the topics outlined above." – Alix Cooper, in: Renaissance Quarterly 64/3 (Fall 2011), pp. 934-936