Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
For What Reasons did Academicians select to use or not to use any given textbook for their own classroom instruction during the Renaissance? To what extent did ideological or pragmatic considerations influence such decisions? In this article these questions are posed to examine the use of the writings of Petrus Ramus (1515—1572) and Omer Talon (ca. 1510-1562) at schools and universities in Central Europe during the six decades between 1570 and 1630. Did “Ramist” academicians of this period make use in the classroom of writings by these two authors because of some fundamental agreement with their views? Or were these two authors preferred during these six decades because their writings could be used eclectically and/or they fit well into specific parts of the curriculum at certain academic institutions?