Book: The Birth of the Academic Article
Chapter: Historical background
Blurb:
The two journals under study both began in 1665 in France and England. However the historical contexts in these two countries were entirely different. France was totally stable and the economic and cultural centre of Europe. England was in the early years of the Restoration, after decades of chaos. In these circumstances, the respective editors of the journals made different decisions. The Journal des Sçavans was made up mainly of book reviews and covered all disciplines; the Philosophical Transactions was based on Henry Oldenburg’s correspondence, and was restricted to science and technology. They were also each influenced by different philosophical traditions