Fantastic creatures from Mercator's map of the world (1569), Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
Triton, a group of giants and a sea monster (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Primary source texts dealing with science from the medieval and early modern periods are available in a variety of different places and formats.
1) There are online collections available for such texts. Haverford has access to Early English Books Online (EEBO) (see below). Other primary source collections like Gallica from France's Bibliothèque national are open access on the Web.
2) Still other sources are available in modern printed editions and translations. Like these titles available in the tri-colleges:
3) Anthologies provide another way to identify relevant primary sources. Brief excerpts highlight a wide range of relevant texts. See below for some selected titles.
4)Facsimiles and copies on microfilm can be borrowed through E Z Borrow or interlibrary loan if they are not in Tripod.
While some primary source books and other kinds of materials have been digitized, there are great numbers which exist only in print or manuscript, particularly when it comes to documents and records which are often in one unique copy. Visiting a rare book library will give you access to additional source material, as you can readily see from the resources on Friends Hospital here in Haverford's Special Collection Library.
Use the databases below to search for primary source material in special collection libraries.
Collections of primary texts in anthologies can be good for browsing. They touch on many different issues, often excerpting brief passages from full works that you can find in the tricolleges or through interlibrary loan.