"Of the four elements that classical philosophy—and subsequently the hermeneutics of the Judaeo-Christian tradition—saw as forming the essence of life on Earth, water has undoubtedly received the greatest attention in both scientific and religious-philosophical writings. This fact is clearly demonstrated by Lindsay Starkey in Encountering Water in Early Modern Europe and Beyond. [...] Adopting a convincing line of argument, Starkey says that from the sixteenth century onwards there has been a shift away from a philosophical-religious approach to one that is more practical, discussing water more in terms of human activities (in particular, voyages of geographical discovery)."
- Salvatore Ciriacono, Università degli Studi di Padova, Renaissance and Reformation 44.1 (Winter 2021)