Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776-1810) was an influential scientist of the Romantic era, acquainted with the greatest minds of his day. He made significant contributions in the fields of chemistry and galvanism, but also tested the boundaries of the sciences and the arts through a speculative thinking which placed human intellectual activity within far-reaching historical narratives. Until now, Ritter’s work has remained largely unknown to an Anglophone audience. For the first time, this bilingual edition offers English translations of Ritter’s work and explanatory essays of three texts - including the complete fragment project - which testify to the confluence of the scientific and aesthetic inquiry around 1800.

Medieval and Early Modern Science, 13