This English translation of William of Conches's Dramatican Philosophiae (died ca.1154), makes available a synthesis of western thought concerning the structure of the physical universe, as it was understood in the 12th century.

This book consists of editions and translations of the three known texts in which Adelard of Bath (c. 1080-1150) addresses his Nephew: an exhortation to the study of the liberal arts that constitute "philosophy" (On the Same and the Different), a dialogue on the nature of things in which rational causes are sought (Questions on Natural Science), and a discussion concerning the upbringing and medication of hawks (On Birds). A preface introduces the works and places them in the context of the Court schools of Norman bishops and dukes.