Author: Brian Clegg Publisher: Ivy Press ISBN: 1782408789 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 277
Book Description
Scientifica Historica is an illustrated, essay-based review of those books that marked the development of science from ancient civilizations to the new millennium. The book is divided into five eras and explores the leading scientific pioneers, discoveries and books within them: Ancient World – looks at the beginnings of language, plus the first ever scientific documents produced and translated Renaissance in Print – explores the effects of the invention of the printing press and the exploration of the seas and skies Modern Classical – surveys the nineteenth century and the development of science as a profession Post-Classical – dissects the twentieth century and the introduction of relativity, quantum theory and genetics The Next Generation – reviews the period from 1980 to the modern day, showing how science has become accessible to the general public Plus an introduction to the history and development of writing and books in general, and a list of the 150 greatest science books published. From carvings and scrolls to glossy bound tomes, this book beautifully illustrates the evolution of scientific communication to the world. By recounting the history of science via its key works—those books written by the keenest minds our world has known—this book reflects the physical results of brilliant thought manifested in titles that literally changed the course of knowledge.
Author: Patricia Fara Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 019922689X Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 426
Book Description
In Science, Patricia Fara rewrites science's past to provide new ways of understanding and questioning our modern technological society. Aiming not just to provide information but to make people think, this unique book explores how science has become so powerful by describing the financial interests and imperial ambitions behind its success. Sweeping through the centuries from ancient Babylon right up to the latest hi-tech experiments in genetics and particle physics, Fara's book also ranges internationally, challenging notions of European superiority by emphasising the importance of scientific projects based around the world, including revealing discussions of China and the Islamic Empire alongside the more familiar stories about Copernicus's sun-centered astronomy, Newton's gravity, and Darwin's theory of evolution. We see for instance how Muslim leaders encouraged science by building massive libraries, hospitals, and astronomical observatories and we rediscover the significance of medieval Europe--long overlooked--where, surprisingly, religious institutions ensured science's survival, as the learning preserved in monasteries was subsequently developed in new and unique institutions: universities. Instead of focussing on esoteric experiments and abstract theories, she explains how science belongs to the practical world of war, politics and business. And rather than glorifying scientists as idealized heroes, she tells true stories about real people--men (and some women) who needed to earn their living, who made mistakes, and who trampled down their rivals. Finally, this provocative volume challenges scientific supremacy itself, arguing that science is successful not because it is always indubitably right, but because people have said that it is right. Science dominates modern life, but perhaps the globe will be better off by limiting science's powers and undoing some of its effects. "Dismantling popular myths, taking a truly global view and dispensing with false idols, Fara's highly readable survey of science's histories is a breath of fresh air. She unerringly pinpoints the defining moods of each age, treating the past with respect and the present with discernment. This wonderfully literate book tells a story that is far, far more interesting than the tidy fictions of hindsight." -- Philip Ball, Consultant Editor of Nature "It's been a very long time since any reputable historian of science had the desire, the knowledge, or the nerve to undertake a book like this-- an attempt to survey the development of science from Antiquity to the present, notably including non-European materials. Patricia Fara has succeeded: Science is an elegant and compact creative synthesis of the piecemeal researches of generations of academic historians. It deserves the widest possible readership." - Steven Shapin, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard, and author of The Scientific Revolution Patricia Fara lectures in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and is the Senior Tutor of Clare College. She is the author of numerous books, including Fatal Attraction: Magnetic Mysteries of the Enlightenment and Newton: The Making of Genius. Her writing has appeared in History Today, New Scientist, Nature, The Times and New Statesman, and she writes a regular column on scientific portraits for Endeavour. Books by the same author Fatal Attraction: Magnetic Mysteries of the Enlightenment by Patricia Fara. Published: 2005 Publisher: Icon Books Price: L9.99 Pandora's Breeches: Women, Science and Power in the Enlightenment by Patricia Fara. Published: 2004 Publisher: Pimlico Price: L12.99 Sex, Botany and Empire; the Stories of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks by Patricia Fara. Published: 2003 Publisher: Icon Books Price: L6.99 Newton: the Making of Genius by Patricia Fara. Published: 2002 Publisher: Macmillan Price: L20 An Entertainment for Angels: Electricity in the Enlightenment by Patricia Fara. Publish
Author: David Attenborough Publisher: Kales Press ISBN: 9780979845628 Category : Art Languages : en Pages : 228
Book Description
Filmmaker Attenborough provides an introductory survey of the artistic representation of plants and animals through human history, beginning with Leonardo da Vinci's drawings and continuing on through the mid-1700s.
Author: Charles Singer Publisher: Forgotten Books ISBN: 9780364657195 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 684
Book Description
Excerpt from Studies in the History and Method of Science, Vol. 2 The first volume of this series appeared in the autumn of 1917. The editor was unable to see it through the press owing to his absence from England on military duty. A Preface was accordingly provided by Sir William Osler, who, unhappily, has not lived to see the growing success that has attended the ideas he expressed there with so much force, and towards which he contributed life-long thought and effort. The volume was received with an approval that far surpassed the hopes of its editor and the issue was rapidly exhausted. In the present collection an endeavour has been made to avoid some defects inevitable in the earlier volume. The undue prominence given to mediaeval studies will be found in part corrected and care has been taken to give more space to the evolution of the mathematical and exact sciences, though the balance is yet far from being fully redressed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Author: Brian Clegg
Author: Patricia Fara
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Author: U. S. Government Printing Office
Author: David Attenborough
Author: Joao Monteiro
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Author: James David Thompson
Author: Charles Singer
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