Journal for the History of Science

Journal for the History of Science

The Books of Secrets Tradition and the Formation of Experimental Method in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Document Type : Review Article

Author
Erfan Valadkhani
Ms. Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jihs.2026.411839.371889
Abstract
The tradition of the Books of Secrets was one of the most enduring and continuous literary traditions in Europe, persisting from the early Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. These works, typically consisting of collections of instructions, recipes, formulae, and “experiments,” functioned as a bridge between the technical knowledge of artisans and the Aristotelian natural philosophy of scholars. Often positioned at the margins of scholastic science, they nonetheless sustained a practical and experience-based approach to nature. William Eamon’s study examines how this tradition evolved from a marginal and largely hidden body of knowledge into an increasingly systematized experimental methodology during the Renaissance, and ultimately analyzes its significant role in the formation of modern science and the emergence of scientific academies.
Keywords
Books of Secrets
Early Modern Science
Experimental Method
Hidden Knowledge
Natural Philosophy
Subjects
Eamon, W. (1985). “Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Science.” Sudhoffs Archiv, Bd. 69, H. 1. Pp. 26-49. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20776953.
Eamon, W. (1985). “Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Science.” Sudhoffs Archiv, Bd. 69, H. 1. Pp. 26-49. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20776953.
Eamon, W. (1985). “Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Science.” Sudhoffs Archiv, Bd. 69, H. 1. Pp. 26-49. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20776953.
Eamon, W. (1985). “Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Science.” Sudhoffs Archiv, Bd. 69, H. 1. Pp. 26-49. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20776953.
Eamon, W. (1985). “Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Science.” Sudhoffs Archiv, Bd. 69, H. 1. Pp. 26-49. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20776953.
Journal for the History of Science
Volume 24, Issue 1
July 2026
Pages 259-263