Product Description
An illuminating and highly readable survey of the growth of scientific ideas.It's a history of natural science--from the astronomy of ancient Babylon to the astrophysics of today's space research centers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Waiting for an Inspiring Vivid Review of a Great History of Science

Science and History:
Science is a human activity which helped develop a cumulative tradition of inter­ related techniques, of empirical knowledge, and theoritical postulates, with refer­ence to the natural world. Professor stephen Mason proposes two primary sources for the historical roots in Science, the practical experiences and skills handed on and developed from one generation to another; future aspirations and novel ideas adopted and expanded. Those traditions existed before civilization were established. Defining what science has presented and has historically accomplished, he finds it difficult to formulate a definition which holds for all times, in different places. Behind the changing character of science throughout the ages, he debates, there has been a sense of continuity, for the generations of each period have developed and enlarged some aspects of the science handed down to them.

Scientific Thought:
A History of the Sciences originally appeared under the title, "Main Currents of Scientific Thought," with the same chapters;
Part 1. Ancient Science
Part 2. Science In the Orient and Medieval Europe
Part 3. The Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th Centuries
Part 4. 18th-Century Science:Development of National Scientific Traditions
Part 5. 19th Century: The Agent of Industrial and Intellectual Change
Part 6. Twentieth-Century Science New Fields and New Powers
Dr. Mason makes evident the influence of philosophical and theological conceptions on scientific inquiry, and in telling his story and also exhibits the roles played by social and technological needs in determining the direction of scientific research. The book's core is determined to be in the modern period; though it pro­vides an admirable historical perspective for appreciating the important intellectual and practical problems facing us as a result of the continuing expansion of the scientific enterprise.

Book Praise:
"In my judgment, it is by far the best one-volume account in English of the development of the natural sciences. It presents an illuminating and highly readable survey of the growth of scientific ideas from ancient to contemporary achievements, and it includes much material not readily accessible otherwise on the contributions only recently discovered of Babylonian, Oriental as well as Medieval science." Ernest Nagel, author of The Structure of Science

Science History Perfected:
Sarton, the eminent authority on the history of science, considers that science is unique as a truly cu­mulative and progressive human activity. But only a side of science has been cumulative up to the present time,its practical techni­ques and its empirical concepts and laws. Viewed within a long time scale, the theories of science have been transitory.
Similarly, given a continuance of the present pace of scientific research activity and discoveries, we can hardly suppose that only the fundamental scientific theories of today will remain holding for long.
Professor Mason started rewriting his History of the Sciences 1953, I hope he releases the first part and endorse the history with visual aids, including maps, photos and drawings.

Eminent Author:
Stephen F. Mason worked on his Ph. D. at Oxford University, whereafter he taught chemistry and the history of science (1947-1953). He was then a Research Fellow in the Wellcome Institute, London. In l956 he moved to a lectureship in physical organic chemistry at Exeter University holding Readership in chemical spectroscopy. He was Professor of Chemistry at King's College London (1970-1988). From l988 he has been Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, University of London, and Honorary Research Associate in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge. Since completing his Chemical Evolution (1991)

Perfect for non-scientists
This is the best one volume work available covering the entire history of science from Ancient Egypt to the 20th Century (including non-Western civilizations). Mason avoids technical jargon and relates science to the everyday world as well as to the world of theory. The book is meant for non-specialists and will give anyone who reads it a real understanding of what science is all about and why it is important.

A great read!
After reading tons of fiction, it's refreshing to pick this book up. Nomatter how much you know already, you'll find new things here. I recommendthis book especially for you scientists and engineers out there, who areusually curious about everything. Mason covers it all from ancient Greekscience to quantum physics and beyond. I especially appreciated the sectionon Descartes. This is a book you do not have to read from start to finish,you can start wherever you want and jump around. Also, the writing does notread like a reference, thankfully, it flows at an enjoyable pace andpresents the sciences in an interesting way. ... Read more

Product Description
Why, oh why the mainstream historians do not gratify prominent mathematician Doctor Fomenko with laurels, but call the riot police? For example, the English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. As te sign of recognition of the special role of the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben. The Russian historians brand it all as pseudoscience: because Dr Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by over two centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called 'Tartars and Mongols' were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a trilingual state with Arabic and Turkic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities and the hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called 'blood tax'). Their 'invasions' were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Dr Fomenko proves that official Russian history is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scholars brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs. Their ascension to the throne was the result of conspiracy, so they charged these German imports historians with the noble mission of making Romanovs reign look legitimate. Dr Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. These rulers represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate Godounovs and the ambitious Romanov upstarts. The European historians fume because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Per Dr Fomenko all medieval European Kings and Princes were but breakaway vice-regents and vassals of the Global Empire who badly needed glorious and very ancient past in order to legitimize their independence from the Empire. Dr Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one: the Ancient Rome: the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the 14th century A. D., the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, the Ancient Egypt: the pyramids of Giza become dated to the 11th to 14th century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global Empire, no less. The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the 11th to 15th century A. D. following the breakthrough in decoding of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. Arabic historians may find some consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th - 17th century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a proto-Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, but built in 1550-1557 A.D. by Sultan Suleiman according to Fomenko! The Divinity excommunicates Dr Fomenko because the history of religions according to Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the 11th century and Jesus Christ ), Bacchic Christianity (11th to 12th century, before and after Jesus Christ), Jesus Christ Christianity (12th to 14th century) and its subsequent mutations (15th to 17th cy) into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on..and The Old Testament written after the New Testament in xiv-xvi cy A.D.! Saint Augustine was quite prescient when he said: 'be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth.' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a must read!
Interesting, especially map comparison. Russian armor with Arabic writing...... the only problem is, this book is expensivI'm glad I bought it though.

A must read book
This is a must read book that should be studied seriously, and data -- verified. Can modern historians reject and/or find support based on data and evidence? So far, as I have seen, there have been no evidence-based works that show Fomenko wrong. I am sure reconstructing history would create errors, but if studying history is agreed to be a necessary societal endeavor, I think we should investigate all Fomenko's claims; perhaps even re-thinking and re-evaluating what is a myth and what is closer to reality is not a bad endeavor and investment. Clearly, a thought-provoking and potentially dangerous set of works!

Nationalist?
Dr Fomenko started his research back in 1973, was badly mauled as ANTISOVIET and ANTIRUSSIAN. Nowadays the same crowd of Russian (formerly soviet) historians attack him on his Russian nationalism. Dirt cheap. There wasn't a single academic valid refutation of his theory. Forget about c14, the poor Nobel Libby must be turning in his grave after `calibration' of his method. By `calibration' on statistically non-significant number of wood samples from Egypt with ARBITRARELY suggested age of 3100 B.C. the Arizona university radiocarbon team simply smuggled the consensual chronology into c14 method of dating. Dr Libby honestly earned his Nobel by developing a valid dating method, too bad that this method became very un-precise because unknown tonnages of c14 isotope were dumped into atmosphere in the course of US-USSR-France-UK nuclear tests in the fifties, moreover it was turned later into a sheer fallacy by `calibration'. The dendro-chronology was ordered to expand its scale over 12 500 years, which is another fallacy as the number of ancient samples is truly non-significant.Just try to submit to any c14 lab a sample of organic matter and ask them to date it. The lab will ask your idea of the age of the sample, then it fiddles with the knobs (`fine-tuning') and gives you the result you've `expected'. True, Dr Fomenko's ideas find sympathy with nationalistic crowd, this sympathy evaporates as soon as they find out that in Fomenko's book ancient Russians are not Nordic Arians, but Turks and Tartars, that 1100 years of noble Russia are simply not there.

An unfortunate modern phenomenon
Fomenko is nothing more than a product of the Russian intelligentsia's insecurity about Russia's place in the world following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The underlying theme in all his works is to establish Russia as the most important civilization in world history and to suggest that the Russians are the legitimate rulers of the world.

All of his number-crunching, all of his smaller theories are developed in support of this overarching conviction, which becomes more and more transparent in successive volumes of his work.

I have been to Russia as recently as this past February, having been born there and a constant visitor, and I saw first-hand the out-of-control frenzy among the people and the media to rewrite history and economics in Russia's favor. Meanwhile, the actual living conditions in Russia, especially outside of Moscow, fail to keep with this conviction of Russian economic and intellectual superiority.

This is simply a cyclical manifestation of racism during hard economic times, and writers like Fomenko emerge as an opiate for the public. This fascination with race and nationality as defining economic thought and prosperity is certainly a modern Russian phenomenon.
The Russian intelligentsia are always trying to fight "the Americans' and the British's convictions of Anglo-Saxon economic and intellectual superiority," but the Americans and British themselves hold no such convictions in modern times (in the past some, like Winston Churchill, certainly did).
It's a particular cyclical current of racism in this particular era in Russia that leads to the manifestation of works such as Fomenko's.

Fantastic book! Extremely interesting, very thought-provoking.
Despite the efforts of critics, skeptics and "debunkers" this book is gaining popular acceptance very fast. Everyone i know who is interested in history is stunned by the ideas the Fomenko Group present. The idea that Ghengis Khan was the Turkic/Eastern name of a Russian prince is breathtaking in it's implications. Or, the case for "Mongolia" to have been a corruption of the Greek "Megalion"(or Great) representing a "Horde"(or "orde/order", the Russian name of it's Medieval professional horse-soldiers) as the historicists distortion of the Mongol Hordes as being of Far Eastern origin instead of being Russian Cossacks(Khazaks).

This book is so filled with shocking and exciting ideas about how history has been obfuscated, hidden, and changed to suit the local needs of political factions that it has completely altered my perspective on current worl events and the "how" and "why" of Central European and Middle Eastern politics! Many modern "historians" rail against Fomenko's theories because they are both obviouly, intuitively accurate and totally opposite established thinking that most history books would have to be completely re-written. And no one who spent ten years getting his doctorate in convential history wants to admit that everything he thinks he "knows" is just plain wrong! I know it upset me at first, but the long, long list of explanations, "coincidences", facts and inconsistencies listed by Fomenko et al can't help but change your perspective.

These books are not the usual poorly-written, poorly-researched imaginative tripe provided by most "historical revisionists".This is the work of one of the world's leading mathmeticians and other highly-educated scholars. In fact, there is so much raw data in this series that even i, who reads constantly, have a hard time moving through it. But the subject matter shakes the very foundations of so many assumptions of modern history that it's worth every bit of effort.

Don't let the convcentional history proponents convince you these are false- read them for yourself. If you can read the whole series and STILL think the history of the world is what you've been taught then you might be right, and i might be wrong. But i don't think i am: Fomenko is a pioneer, a radical, a free-thinker and revolutionary in the field of scientific historical anhalysis! ... Read more

Product Description
Theories for Everything highlights the rich, compelling stories behind science's greatest discoveries and the minds and methods that made them possible. Authoritative, entertaining, and easy to follow, it provides indispensable information on our current theories about the natural and physical world as well as a concise overview of how those ideas evolved.

Filled with illustrations, topical essays, and sidebars, these fascinating pages cover every major topic imaginable—astronomy, the human body and its inner workings, the nature of matter and energy, genetics and evolution, and the complex relationship between mind and behavior. Broken down by subject, the book provides readers with a thorough examination of each set of related theories as they are tested and refined and introduces all the major figures in the history of science, including Aristotle, Archimedes, Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes, Pascal, Newton, Edison, Pasteur, Darwin, Pavlov, Curie, Einstein, Freud, Feynman, and Hawking. The lives of more than 45 scientists are captured in special time lines that add depth and detail to the running narrative.

Each discovery is presented as a detective story: the narrative focuses on how inquisitive investigators posit, revise, and improve upon their descriptions of nature. And like any first-rate mystery, it entices its readers, inviting them to match wits with the scientific sleuths whose theories for everything have unraveled nature's riddles and reshaped how we see our world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great for grandchildren
The clear writing, accompanied by intelligent and detailed drawings and illustrations provide young minds with fantastic insight into their world as it had come to exist before they did - something some generations do not really comprehend.

Textbooky
It was a decent enough volume, very up to date and a nice breadth of coverage.It's a bit dry and reminds me heavily of college textbooks, but if you're accustomed to the NG style, there's no surprises there.

I thought it did a decent job with the subject matter - generally sweeping over a time line of events under the subject with a brief pause at particularly significant contributors.I thought the title was a bit off - to me the book focused more on the details of the people involved, not the theories themselves.But this is a minor quibble.

I got this book in a cutout bin and was well worth the small amount invested.I don't think I would have purchased it at full price.

Excellent, Educational Book
Please disregard the ludicrous ravings of this book's first reviewer, who judges the entire tome on the basis, not of its cover, but of a single sidebar. He inexplicably dismisses the eminently-qualified authors, who have been senior editors of such publications as Discover, Natural History, and Astronomy, and who I can assure you were thoroughly vetted by National Geographic.

"Theories for Everything" is a beautifully illustrated and well-written introduction to the history of science, particularly useful to young people but also to adults who would like a general refresher. Divided into six chapters -- The Heavens, The Human Body, Matter and Energy, Life Itself, Earth and Moon, Mind and Behavior -- it is neither exhaustive nor highly academic, but it is fun and lively, full of timelines and mini-biographies of science luminaries, which should encourage further exploration.

Too Much Garbage
I bought this book largely because it is published by National Geographic.Big mistake.Just turn to page 216 and read the article entitled "Quantum Mechanics".It is pure garbage.

The authors say that knowledge of a quantum particle's position and velocity is limited by measurement limitations.While that may be true, it is far more accurate and interesting to say, as Mr. Heisenberg did, that this uncertainty is an immutable property of the universe, without regard to measurement methods.

But what follows in that same article is truly most baffling.The authors describe quantum mechanical "tunneling" in terms of light that pass through bricks and of blind fleas that may or may not be trapped in a mesh.I think they are talking about a very theoretical and unsubstantiated hypothesis of wormhole time machines.The saddest part is that there are many examples of verified strange and interesting quantum characteristics that the authors fail to address.

Other errors also abound.For example, pages 164 and 167 depict and describe the Archimedean screw as "a spiral-shaped pipe" which is utterly false.

Also check the authors' science degrees.None are listed.
... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive history of the human sciences--psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science--from their precursors in early human culture to the present. This erudite yet accessible volume in Norton's highly praised History of Science series tracks the long and circuitous path by which human beings came to see themselves and their societies as scientific subjects like any other. Beginning with the Renaissance's rediscovery of Greek psychology, political philosophy, and ethics, Roger Smith recounts how the human sciences gradually organized themselves around a scientific conception of psychology, and how this trend has continued to the present day in a circle of interactions between science and ordinary life, in which the human sciences have influenced and been influenced by popular culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An Impressive Accomplishment
Contrary to another Amazon reviewer, I didn't find the prose boring, even if one expects little from a reference work like this. Indeed, it could have been dry as hay. But Smith crafts a convincing narrative out of his materials, no small feat in a work of this length. In its scope and balance, this work is too impressive to be given just two stars. Instead, I think the following conclusion from a review in The Journal of Interdisciplinary History is more on target: "Yet, in spite of the daunting nature of his task, Smith must be judged overall to have written a successful synthetic treatment of his many-faceted subject. The writing is compelling and often sparkling. The thinking is always informed. This is a book that serves many functions: It should be a standard reference, a work that one dips into for the sheer pleasure of reading bits and pieces, and an essential study of the problems underlying a history of the human sciences."

the most boring book in creation!
This is a big, thick, very boring book from a man who nevertheless knows his subject well.It's basically a history of how the "human sciences" (sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, etc.) got started and developed over the years.There are no graphs or pictures; it's all narrative.

Alas!This is a aggravatingly stuffy slog, although, as I say, you can't complain about its thoroughness.The problem, in my view, is neither the subject matter nor the approach:it's Smith's writing style.If you don't actually have the book in front of you, it's possible to convince yourself that it might be worth your time.No.So dry and lifeless is the writing that the book's other merits (e.g., the versatility and erudition with which the different disciplines are interwoven) never have a chance to see the light of day.

True, I was expecting a lot from it:the development of the social sciences is a very fecund subject; I guess I was hoping it would be as engaging, as riveting, and as thought-provoking as, for example, one of Boorstin's outings.

And what a shame, too, since this could have been written so much better.In a way, I'm hoping hope that somebody here will rush to this book's defense, since the author obviously put a ton of work into it.But even so, that wouldn't make it a better read.

In short: a fertile subject, but one that, sadly, still awaits a magisterial treatment. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Many students major in the Humanities or Social Sciences because they love their chosen academic fields, however few schools provide solid advice about how students can apply their studies to a career.This unique and informative guide directs History and Political Science majors to career paths that will make the most of their educational backgrounds. It includes chapters on further academic study, fellowship opportunities, and understanding career options, as well as practical and detailed job search tips and strategies.

What to Do with Your History or Political Science Degree includes:
·Practical advice on identifying career goals
·Profiles of popular career paths
·Interview and networking tips
·Special Q&A section with former majors who are now successfully pursuing careers they love
·Appendices that provide listings of relevant internship and fellowship opportunities ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Helpful!!
I will more than likely be double majoring in history and government and was very worried about my potential career prospects after college. I thought the only thing that either major would allow me to do would be a teacher, lawyer, or journalist. (While the book does offer these three careers) This book offers great insight and breaks it down by job category about what either major can do and offers great resources with websites to research jobs, grad schools, law schools and internships. At the end of the book, there are Q&As with former political science and history majors about what careers they hold, how they got to where they are today, and advice to their fellow majors. The book is very useful and I would recommend to anyone not sure about what career path they are looking to pursue with a major in history or political science. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

The Slow, Painful Growth of Ed Schools and Ed Scholars.
"An Elusive Science" is a book that chronicles (with minimal editorial) about 100 years of education's attempt to become a science. The book starts off in the late 1800's, when, thanks to William James, psychology was just becoming a serious discipine, and the business of education was largely seen as a trade. Soon, "normal schools" were founded with the purpose of teacing educators, which gave rise to university departments, which gave rise to the idea of education as a research discipline.

The author's main theme - if there is a theme to this historical chronicle - is that psychologist Edward Thorndike won the war of "visions" of what education research would look like, against his colleague, philosopher John Dewey. Following Thorndike, education research became very quantatitive, behavioristic, and attached to developing systems. Curriculum development specialists wrote various methods of teaching in an effort to "objectify" a very personalized discipline. (Education, thus, was trying to become mechanized in the same way of Frederick Taylor's "scientific management" of the late 1800's.) The author follows this history up to the 1980's, where the tide slowly, but not completely, turned in favor of more qualitative approaches to education.

The biggest problem I have with this book is that the author did not make a greatly persuasive case that these results and this history was troubling, as suggested in her subtitle. Yes, education research became almost obsessive about quantization, systemization, and ranking things in hierarchy. The body of the book is only devoted to the idea THAT this happened, not WHY it was a "troubling" development. (She does this only in the introduction and epilogue.)

This book is, however, a very interesting history that finds much historical overlap with Left Back: A Century of Battles over SchoolReform, and philosophical kinship with The Trouble with Ed Schools. As another reviewer astutely points out, this book reminds us that the current field of education as a university research discipline was nowhere a necessary state of affairs, but rather, it evolved slowly and painfully. This book will certainly be of interest to scholars interested in learning about the history of this development.

Required Reading for All University Educational Researchers?
Lagemann's book is a well researched look into American higher education, particularly concerning the emergence of Colleges of Education within universities in the late 19th century. Prior to this time, the field of "education" lay strictly within the confines of the individual disciplinary domains, and was not considered as a subject requiring special distinction. Lageman is able to use this historical context to illuminate the struggles that theorists and psychologists at the time experienced as they attempted to determine if "education" could - or SHOULD - be deemed a "science," and the subsequent effect such decisions played in the educational setting of the University. And although the author may focus much of her book on the issue of economic funding (she describes the common cycle of insufficient funding, which leads to less research, which, in turn, leads to less funding, etc), in my mind the most interesting part of her story is the description of those seminal debates that lead to the birth of the field of educational psychology, and the examination of the arguments for and against the pronouncement of "education" as a unique field.

Although at the start of the 21st century we now rarely question the result of these 19th-century decisions, Lagemann's text is nevertheless a reminder that our current University setting was not necessarily ordained to be so. Perhaps more importantly, her text allows us to consider and re-examine the issues surrounding the types of education-related questions that, even now, reamin unsettled: Does an instructor need to be a subject matter expert in order to meaningfully teach students, or are there specific instructional principles and techniques that are more critical than an instructor's personal subject matter knowledge as determinants in student achievement? Are subject matter experts the best teachers, or are experts in educational processes the best teachers? What combination of these skills should there be for one to be considered a "premier" instructor? Is education really a "science" like the natural sciences, or is there too much of "education" that is based on personal styles, learner preferences, and the intimate human relationships between instructors and students to prevent it from ever becoming a fully empirically-validated field?

These are just a few of the many issues surrounding Lagemann's history (and I look at this book almost as much as a history book as a position piece), and the author does a wonderful job of bringing all these historical events together and allowing us to reconsider such basic issues. It may not result in agreement between readers, but it certainly drives us to consider once again what's most important in the field of educational research.

A "troubling history" indeed.
This book forced me to reevaluate all of my assumptions about education reform. ... Read more

Product Description
This book in the highly respected Cambridge History of Science series is devoted to the history of the life and earth sciences since 1800. It provides comprehensive and authoritative surveys of historical thinking on major developments in these areas of science, on the social and cultural milieus in which the knowledge was generated, and on the wider impact of the major theoretical and practical innovations. The articles were written by acknowledged experts who provide concise accounts of the latest historical thinking coupled with guides to the most important recent literature.In addition to histories of traditional sciences, the book covers the emergence of newer disciplines such as genetics, biochemistry, and geophysics. The interaction of scientific techniques with their practical applications in areas such as medicine is a major focus of the book, as is its coverage of controversial areas such as science and religion and environmentalism. ... Read more

Product Description
This new edition of the acclaimed bestseller is lavishly illustrated to convey, in pictures as in words, Bill Bryson’s exciting, informative journey into the world of science.

In A Short History of Nearly Everything, beloved author Bill Bryson confronts his greatest challenge yet: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as his territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. The result is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it.

Now, in this handsome new edition, Bill Bryson’s words are supplemented by full-color artwork that explains in visual terms the concepts and wonder of science, at the same time giving face to the major players in the world of scientific study. Eloquently and entertainingly described, as well as richly illustrated, science has never been more involving or entertaining.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space. With his distinctive prose style and wit, Bryson succeeds admirably. Though A Short History clocks in at a daunting 500-plus pages and covers the same material as every science book before it, it reads something like a particularly detailed novel (albeit without a plot). Each longish chapter is devoted to a topic like the age of our planet or how cells work, and these chapters are grouped into larger sections such as "The Size of the Earth" and "Life Itself." Bryson chats with experts like Richard Fortey (author of Lifeand Trilobite) and these interviews are charming. But it's when Bryson dives into some of science's best and most embarrassing fights--Cope vs. Marsh, Conway Morris vs. Gould--that he finds literary gold. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (841)

Stunning
For those who slept through their science classes, merely memorized facts to pass the tests and concluded that science is either irrelevant or beyond comprehension, read this 30 chapter book.

Better yet,read just the 14 pages in chapter 19 on "The Rise of Life".You'll be hooked by the content, the author's style and the relevance to your life and every life. In a few short pages Bryson manages to connect atoms, amino acids, proteins and DNA to the origin, structure and probability of life and the universe.This book cannot replace the content of university science courses, but it can motivate the reader to invest some time in learning what scientists have found and ponder what it means.

A surprisingly entertaining read
His subject matter is extensive, his research comprehensive, his storytelling brilliant.Bill Bryson is able to craft truly interesting and many times captivating narrative out of historical scientific knowledge and the quest for it. He brings forth the petty grievances, and fragile egos that are behind much of the scientific knowledge we enjoy today, and he does it in a way that sometimes will make you laugh.

Not to mention that you may well acquire some real knowledge about dinosaurs, geology, biology, astronomy, taxonomy and more.His writing may even make taxonomy nterest you.

I highly recommend the audio version also as read by Richard Matthews who brings an English style of speaking that is ideally suited to Bryson's writing.

Without question one of the best books I have ever read.

Awesome overview of the sciences, and a little history.
Bill bryson does a wonderful job of captivating your imagination, and writing in a compelling manner while still including copious amounts of information.

this should be a required science book for schoolchildren, maybe we would have more scientists, and less business men.

A really and truly interesting book!
Who would have thought that a book required for a science class would be written
like a novel?This has been an extremely interesting book.Word of warning though:You may learn some things about this earth and space that will disturb you!Avoid chapter 13 before bed.:)

A wonderful blend of scientific inquiry and human interest
Bill Bryson's narrative is as much about the follies and foibles of scientists and observers past and present as it is about the enigmatic history of the natural world which their human eyes have sought to uncover.This backdrop alone make this wonderful story more informative and engaging than any dogmatic high school or science textbook I have ever had to read and showed me just how truly awe-inspiring the expanse of Creation is.But at the same time, the more I read Bryson's book, the more the admonition of C.S. Lewis sunk into my mind about confusing reading for religious discipleship with reading to stay informed about the world around us. Wrote Lewis:

"Science is in continual change and we must try to keep abreast of it. We may mention such things; but we must mention them lightly and without claiming that they are more than 'interesting.' Sentences beginning "Science has now proved" should be avoided. If we try to base our apologetic on some recent development in science, we shall usually find that just as we have put the finishing touches to our argument science has changed its mind and quietly withdrawn the theory we have been using as our foundation stone."

Bryson's tapestry of human interest stories interwoven into the epic history of scientific discovery eloquently bears this out. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume offers to general and specialist readers alike the fullest and most complete survey of the development of science in the eighteenth century. It is designed to be read as both a narrative and an interpretation, and also to be used as a work of reference.While prime attention is paid to Western science, space is also given to science in traditional cultures and to colonial science.The contributors, world leaders in their respective specialties, engage with current historiographical and methodological controversies and strike out positions of their own. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is a comprehensive account of knowledge of the natural world in Europe, ca. 1500-1700.Often referred to as the Scientific Revolution, this period saw major transformations in fields as diverse as anatomy and astronomy, natural history and mathematics. Articles by leading specialists describe in clear, accessible prose supplemented by extensive bibliographies, how new ideas, discoveries, and institutions shaped the ways in which nature came to be studied, understood, and used. ... Read more

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Two months before the Wright brothers historic flight at Kitty Hawk, a top scientist declared that "no possible combination of known substances, known forces of machinery and known forms of force can be united in a practical (flying) machine..."

Germ theory was first advanced in ancient Sanskrit texts thousands of years ago, but wasn't widely accepted until late in the 19th century.

Space travel was declared "utter bilge" in 1956 by the British astronomer Royal, one of a long line of scientists who "proved" it was impossible.

Throughout history, it has been difficult, even impossible, to promote the acceptance of new discoveries. Yet during the last two centuries, there has been a veritable explosion of new cures, theories, techniques, and inventions that have revolutionized aviation, space travel, communications, medicine, and warfare.

Most of them, of course, were deemed "impossible."

Science Was Wrong is a fascinating collection of stories about the pioneers who created or thought up the "impossible" cures, theories, and inventions "they" said couldn't work. How many have suffered or died because cures weren't accepted? How many inventions have been quashed? How much progress was delayed or denied?

You will end up shaking your head in disbelief and even disgust as you learn the answers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great Minds in High Places Can Be Dreadfully Wrong!
I was absolutely enthralled by this book and couldn't put it down.Brilliant, thorough research, brilliant writing.Despite my background as a physics/engineering major in college, I found the first five chapters on technology to be very informative and incredibly fascinating.

Even more enthralling were chapters 6-8 on medical science.I am a physician/cardiologist; though I knew some of the basics of what you covered in these chapters, I had no idea of the true history of these events and persons - and the egos, rigid closed minds, political battles and personal vendettas that were involved.These chapters should be required reading for anyone in the medical profession! And the one on Semmelweis should be read by every woman!

The chapter on Global Warming was the best condensed presentation of the issue that I have ever read, and completely convincing.Also, I had known next-to-nothing about the eugenics movement in the US before reading that chapter.Frightening!Equally alarming was the chapter on the massive environmental problems of mercury.The scientific data on psi phenomena and UFO's represents years of intensive scientific research and is quite compelling.

This book provided me with some of the most stimulating and enlightening reading that I've had in years.Congratulations to the authors for such brilliant research and such elegant, brilliant, gripping writing!

A fun, enlightening read!
SCIENCE WAS WRONG: STARTLING TRUTHS ABOUT CURS, THEORIES, AND INVENTIONS "THEY" DECLARED IMPOSSIBLE offers a fascinating blend of science and history, charting scientific scofflaws whose criticism was later proved wrong. From the impossibility of space travel to ancient Sanskrit germ theory proposals that were dismissed until the 19th century, this is a fun, enlightening read!

hmmm, there was one odd thing about the writing
I liked this book, was fast & had lots of stuff that we've all heard before but forgot, worth the money and the time.

But one thing did strike me as odd, and I mean it stuck out like a sore thumb.In the middle is a chapter about Eugenics (y'know where Khan came from in Star Trek and what Heinlein like to play with in his 'Cat who walked through walls' era universe), and in that chapter the writer really goes overboard on the complete rottenness of Eugenics.

Don't get me wrong... I too fully think that the extremes and even the moderate and soft aspects of application of eugenics are morally incorrect and so it was not the coverage of eugenics.It was the odd way that these judgement statements were written.It felt clearly like the writer (or maybe the editor) was trying very very hard to be clear that they were not advocating eugenics, but it went so overboard that it felt like a fake... which kinda went against the grain of the book.

Just my 2 pennies

Good content, well written and well paced
This book presents an intriguing look into our past. A past which is littered with examples of people making their minds up without studying the evidence. Even worse is when they do study the evidence, and they then reject certain evidence which does not fall in line with their pre-conceived positions. From mankind never gaining the ability of flight to the gay plague, many scientific advances were either hindered or stopped altogether given our tendency to follow our egos instead of the evidence. This was a very well written and well paced book.

A Captivating View of Science's Struggle Towards the Truth
Over the centuries there have been many errors in judgement made by scientists and engineers - some involving apparent discoveries that were simply wrong, some involving important discoveries that were simply ignored. Eventually, hard, reproducible experimental evidence became so overwhelming that the truth or fallacy of the matter became clear and formally (although sometimes reluctantly) recognized. Several books have been written about such matters; this is one.

A few of topics discussed here are: aviation, space exploration, cold fusion, climate change, some medical issues and a few matters tainted by politics. In most, but not all, cases the new paradigms were eventually accepted. Now the last section, which occupies about 20% of the book, pertains to psi phenomena, UFOs and alien abductions. Having illustrated that so many scientific misjudgements have been made in the past, as well as occasional resistance towards accepting the veracity (or lack thereof) of observed scientific/physical phenomena, the authors, two well-known ufologists, then argue that the same problems apply to the topics discussed in the last section. Essentially, this book appears to be a plea for more serious open-minded research in paranormal phenomena.

The writing style is lively, friendly, engaging, dense with fascinating information and quite accessible; I found it quite captivating. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter what their beliefs are about paranormal phenomena. This includes science buffs and those interested in the history of science, particularly how new discoveries can be suppressed/ignored/disbelieved until the evidence becomes extraordinary.
... Read more

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By allowing key scientists, researchers, professors, and classroom teachers of science to speak for themselves through their published writings about what is best and needed for the field, Dr DeBoer presents a fascinating account of the history of science education in the United States from the middle of the 19th century to the present. The book relates how science first struggled to find a place in the school curriculum and recounts the many debates over the years about what that curriculum should be. In fact, many of what we consider modern ideas in science education are not new at all but can be traced to writings on education of one hundred years ago. The book is aimed at all those interested in science education: classroom teachers and science education leaders concerned about the historical justification of the goals and strategies proposed for the field. The book should be enjoyed not only by the researcher but also by anyone curious about just how curriculum is decided upon and implemented on a national scale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Useful but dry
DeBoer presents good detail about the history of key ideas in science education. It primarily focuses on the field as it has evolved in the US, but he does bring in information about early influences from Europe. It's very enlightening to think that many of the "reform" movements of the last 30 years are reincarnations of arguments from almost 100 years ago. That being said, the book isn't great. I think DeBoer's writing style is dry and at times clunky. You'll really want to know this information to get through it all. ... Read more

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Originally this book was published in Korea under the title "Were There Sciences in Korean History?" in Korean. The author selected two dozen topics from the history of science in Korea, to present a "survey" of Korean science to the general public. Now this is translated into English for international readers, with slight modifications to the original Korean version.

This is author's way of interpreting Korea's proud scientific traditions, as well as his interpretations of why Korea had to be late in the introduction of advanced Western sciences in the nineteenth century and thereafter, hopefully for the better understanding of Korean history for the general readers, as much as professional historians. ... Read more

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The debate between science and religion is never out of the news: emotions run high, fuelled by polemical bestsellers like The God Delusion and, at the other end of the spectrum, high-profile campaigns to teach "Intelligent Design" in schools. Yet there is much more to the debate than the clash of these extremes.As Thomas Dixon shows in this balanced and thought-provoking introduction, a whole range of views, subtle arguments, and fascinating perspectives can be found on this complex and centuries-old subject. He explores the key philosophical questions that underlie the debate, but also highlights the social, political, and ethical contexts that have made the tensions between science and religion such a fraught and interesting topic in the modern world. Dixon emphasizes how the modern conflict between evolution and creationism is quintessentially an American phenomenon, arising from the culture and history of the United States, as exemplified through the ongoing debates about how to interpret the First-Amendment's separation of church and state. Along the way, he examines landmark historical episodes such as the Galileo affair, Charles Darwin's own religious and scientific odyssey, the Scopes "Monkey Trial" in Tennessee in 1925, and the Dover Area School Board case of 2005, and includes perspectives from non-Christian religions and examples from across the physical, biological, and social sciences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A conciliatory, agnostic middle-ground
A refreshing aspect of this book is it's even-handedness. There are so many books that seem to not only say that religious belief and science are incompatible, but these books do so in a very rude manner that doesn't do much but preach to the choir. Dixon himself seems to take a conciliatory middle ground, where the disagreements are made to stem from politics, as well as from particular interpretations of scriptures or difficult ideas of god. For instance, Dixon discusses how religious sentiment fires a unique set of areas in the brain, leaving the possibility for something beyond our understanding without necessarily endorsing a purely natural or supernatural explanation. I thought the strongest part of the book was on the politics of science and belief. I learned how the Catholic Church censored Galileo for promoting an understanding of the universe opposed to the Church's views, as Rome was trying to assert itself in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Dixon also notes how the Creationist/ID debate is based in challenging the 1st Amendment as much as it is about what constitutes "good" science. I personally wished he would cover more about miracles and focus on the use of science to explicitly prove or disprove the existence of god. Given that this is a "Very Short Introduction", I would recommend this as a stepping stone into a very difficult topic.

personal library
An addition to personal library, do not know when chance will arise to read as seminary still requires another year of reading, no time for personal pursuits at this time.

Author's attitude towards subject topics seems random; apparent understanding of religion and science community consensus weak
Besides the varying attitudes towards various religion and science topics, its section on further reading suggests that the author does not keep up with journal reviews and general consensus of the religion and science community.Skip this book. A book with a much greater degree of integrity is Exploring Science and Belief (Questions of Faith).

mixed review
This short introduction does have a number of the virtues listed in earlier reviews, for which we are in the author's debt.But there were two significant problems with Dixon's attempt to be even-handed presenting conflicting views on the topic.First, since Dixon isn't writing to reach any conclusions on the topic, he doesn't feel compelled to fill out opposing arguments in sufficient detail to really join the issues.Perhaps this is asking too much for such a short treatment, but without it, much is lost.Second, when he gets to the section on Intelligent Design, Dixon comes across with the same sneering contempt of a partisan, and again, without sufficiently detailed argument to warrant this posture.I.e. the treatment doesn't remain even-handed.

Serves Very Well as a Very Short Introduction
While not perfect, this book serves as an excellent introduction to this subject.Dixon proves to be well informed of the issues and manages to cover quite a lot of ground, and he's also sufficiently fair and balanced in presenting the competing arguments.

Perhaps the broadest lesson one can glean from the book is that science and religion have always had a messy multidimensional relationship, with many areas of potential agreement and disagreement.Part of the reason is that both science and religion are unavoidably framed in sociocultural and historical contexts, dialectically both affecting those contexts and being affected by them.Moreover, science and religion both have fuzzy boundaries, and both face many similar epistemic difficulties with respect to justifying their beliefs (despite the common but mistaken notion that science is purely objective whereas religion rests purely on faith and subjectivity).

The book lays all of this out with the help of many examples, and thereby gives a sense of how complicated matters are, but doesn't provide any final answers.This gives the impression that some disagreement and tension will probably always exist between science and religion, despite whatever progress might be made in finding reconciliations.However, if one wishes to be optimistic, there is still the prospect of finding (creating?) more and more common ground between the two, possibly resulting in worldviews which increasingly draw on the strengths of both, and of course there's already much precedent for this.

I say the book isn't perfect mainly because "religion" is mostly taken to mean Western monotheisms, especially Christianity, as Dixon acknowledges up front; I would have preferred to see Eastern views included as well, and I think that would have considerably reshaped the book.I also would have preferred a deeper treatment of the philosophical issues Dixon touches on, in exchange for a bit less time spent on detailing historical cases.

But these "imperfections" are largely matters of (my) preference, and again the bottom line is that Dixon has done an excellent job of presenting this subject at an introductory level.I highly recommend the book, and those who enjoy it may want to move on to the extensive The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology) edited by Philip Clayton. ... Read more

Product Description
This compact volume covers the main developments in the social sciences since the Second World War. Chapters on economics, human geography, political science, psychology, social anthropology, and sociology will interest anyone wanting short, accessible histories of those disciplines, all written by experts in the relevant field; they will also make it easy for readers to make comparisons between disciplines. A final chapter proposes a blueprint for a history of the social sciences as a whole. Whereas most of the existing literature considers the social sciences in isolation from one other, this volume shows that they have much in common; for example, they have responded to common problems using overlapping methods, and cross-disciplinary activities have been widespread. The focus throughout the book is on societal pressures on knowledge production rather than just theoretical lineages. This book is noteworthy because it• Is the first book that puts together histories of the main social sciences since World War II, each written by a discipline specialist• Enables the readers to realize that what they see as specific to their own discipline is in fact common to several• Contains a chapter that proposes a blueprint for a history of the social sciences as a whole ... Read more

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The definitive history of plate tectonics, told by thescientists who developed and assembled evidence for the theory.

Can anyone today imagine the earth without its puzzle-piece construction of plate tectonics? The very term, "plate tectonics," coined only thirty-five years ago, is now part of the vernacular, part of everyone's understanding of the way the earth works.

The theory, research, data collection, and analysis that came together in 1967 to constitute plate tectonics is one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century. Scholarly books have been written about tectonics, but none by the key scientists-players themselves. In Plate Tectonics, editor Naomi Oreskes has assembled those scientists who played key roles in developing the theory to tell - for the first time, and in their own words - the stories of their involvement in the extraordinary evolution of the theory.Amazon.com Review
Widely dismissed as crank science in earlier generations, the theory of plate tectonics--which explains the movement of continents in geological time, as well as the formation of the earth's major features--is now largely accepted as fact within the scientific community.

Drawing on the memories of major theoreticians in the field, scientist and historian Naomi Oreskes offers a vivid history of just how that transformation occurred. She describes the early quest on the part of James Dana, Alfred Wegner, J. H. Hodgson, and other scientists to account for the mechanics of earthquakes and certain puzzling features of geomorphology, a quest widened and strengthened by the work of deep-ocean explorers who were able, beginning in the 1960s, to study tectonics at work far below the surface of the world's waters. Such advances, as pioneer Peter Molnar and others explain, did not immediately change the way geologists went about their work, but they quickly went on to revolutionize science--and then, as such things do, to become orthodox.

A useful reference for students of geology and the history of science, this book is also easily accessible to nonspecialists. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Plate Techtonic
I was thinking this was the real verison of the Book I had in Collage. It will do for now.

Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics:An Insider's History of the Moden Theory of the Earth edited by Naomi Oreskes is a book about the movement of the land masses on the Earth and how the theory of plate tectonics came about.In the book there are seventeen original essays by the scientists who made earth history as they explain how placte tectonics works.

Plate tectonics is a science that you'd think has been around for a long time, but in fact, not until 1968 has the theory, research, data collection and analysis came together.The movement of relatively static land masses was not a popular idea, especially in the oil industry, where they believed that tectonics was not a viable theory.

This book takes us on a journey in history giving us a historical background of continental drift to plate tectonics.What I find extemely interesting about this book is the actual players in the development of the theory are represented here.Giving their accounts and insight into why things are as they are... explaining their thought processes in confirmation of the theory of plate tectonics.

Each author gives a piece of the puzzle until there is enough evidence that a workable theory can be developed.These authors tell us in their own words, making for a compelling book about discovery.Also, the reader will find an overview of definitions of terms used throughout the book, this keeps the readers interest as you will not be overburdoned with terms you do not understnd.

All in all, this is a very readable book as it explains the science of plate tectonics and the inter-relationship of this science to man's well-being on earth.

Delightful "insiders' history"
This book will delight all historians of science.The indefatigable Naomi Oreskes, known for her excellent history of continental drift and plate tectonics, has assembled reminiscences by the surviving founders of plate tectonics theory.Dr. Oreskes deserves the highest praise for this. Alas, the senior figures such as Arthur Holmes and Harry Hess are no longer with us; the writers of these essays were graduate students in the critical early 1960s.Now elders themselves, they recall the excitement of coming on the scene just when all was breaking loose. Even the most sober number-crunchers manage to write with infectious enthusiasm.The theories are explained in a notably accessible fashion, and the varied intellectual currents of the time (and, in some essays, subsequent decades) are brought out. My one complaint--as a reader interested in the history of science--is that the writers don't say much about their personal lives.One suspects that some of them have no personal lives beyond number-crunching.Most, however, hint at or partially reveal rich and interesting backgrounds that clearly affected their thoughts. Only Peter Molnar does much more than hint, and, although he claims that one reader called his essay "unexpurgated," even he is rather reticent.Still, this volume is a gold mine, providing a very different look at one of the most "revolutionary" (in scare quotes) theoretical advances in the history of science. The consensus here seems to be that it was indeed a revolution, at least in the eyes of American graduate students of the 1960s, but not a Kuhnian revolution brought about by highly intellectualized "paradigm shifts" (Kuhn 1962); it was brought about by new field methods that brought floods of new data. These allowed the development of real mathematical models.One can only stand in awe of the amount of work this entailed. Several authors speak of working day and night, week after week, on data entry and computer jockeying. They managed this without any loss of enthusiasm--quite the reverse, apparently.Ah, youth.

Plate Tectonics as told by those that assembled the theory
This is a highly informative account of both the ideas that led to the development of Plate Tectonic theory and the concepts of how the earth works. The book is engaging to read and is understandable to an audience at the level of Scientific American. I am using it as a required text in my course at Columbia University titled "Plate-tectonic theory and its geological corollaries". For those fascinated in how the human mind puts observations together to build ideas and then test them, this book is first rate. Each chapter is crafted by a different researcher describing his or her contribution to the over all theory. The reader encounters brilliant and original ideas discarded by peer review, scientists peeping over each other's shoulder, the rush to the goal line to publish first, competition for access to key data sets, a last minute conversion from the static earth perspective, and the thrill of exploration at sea. The authors presents a wonderful history in Chapter 1 of the intellectual passage from the first inkling of continental drift in the 16th century to the breakthrough in 1966-1968 of the full-blown theory of rigid lithosphere paving stones and narrow plate boundaries. ... Read more

Product Description
Not too long ago, in earth time, no one thought the universe had a history. The scientific and religious experts believed that the world had been created as it is today and that nothing had changed. Those experts did their best but they were wrong--really wrong. The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way tells the amazing but true story of the quest to answer an important question: What is this universe of ours all about? From the lost city of Alexandria with its gigantic lighthouse and steam-powered vehicles, to faraway lands where Hindu and Arab mathematicians invented the number zero, Hakim invites readers of all ages to meet the forefathers of modern science and experience their greatest discoveries in astronomy, math, and physics. Along the way, readers learn the answers to questions like:

What can a baboon bone tell us about calendars?

Why can't we feel the earth moving?

How did math contribute to Archimedes' death?

A science book unlike any other, Aristotle Leads the Way pairs a gripping narrative style with quirky sidebars; hundreds of charts, maps, and diagrams; experiments to do at home; suggestions for further reading; and excerpts from the writings of great scientists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

So enjoyable we're getting the whole series
I have been reading the "Aristotle" book to an 8yo, 10yo, 13yo and 15yo and ALL enjoy the book.It really crosses so many ages and they are all able to get something out of each chapter.My 15yo is VERY anti-textbook and traditional schooling and this book really resonates so much with him that he asked me to get the other 2 books in the series.I think this is an excellent example of the appeal of this book - that is would resonate so much with an anti-textbook kid who really doesn't enjoy "doing school".

We normally read Hakim's book at the same time we're reading Bauer's History of the Ancient World and the two complement each other very nicely.We are also doing the Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry, Biology and Physics but the kids really enjoy Hakim's book much more than the RS4K.Well, other than the marshmallow experiment.:)

Well written, illustrations great
This is written text-book style, but much more interesting to read.The chronology of science, and in the following books in the series, makes a nice, unique history of science.

Story of Science - Not for Everyone, but Worth Checking Out
This curriculum takes students from 400 B.C. through the year 2000 by studying the lives, culture and work of famous scientists including Pythagoras, Archimedes, Aristotle, Newton, and Einstein. As the students progress through the series, they create a timeline of historical events and famous people related to their studies. The students create the timeline pieces from their own drawings and graphs.

Each lesson starts out with a lesson summary, a famous quote, goals (what the students will learn), a list of people that will be studied, terms and topics that will be studied, and timeline information. The lesson summary is an excellent explanation of what the students will learn and, unless you are well versed in the subject matter, essential to understanding the material.

This is NOT a self-teaching course. You will need the teachers' and students' guides to use this curriculum. The teachers' guides explain how to use the books and student guides. They provide a supply list, transparency masters, handouts, and quizzes. Suggestions for science fair projects are included in the teachers' guides, as well as enrichment activities that cover other topics (math, history, geography, language arts, drama, art and music).

The student guide includes fill-in charts, short answer, essay questions, and some diagrams. This is not an easy multiple choice/true false curriculum! Most students will be challenged because of the reasoning, lab activities and assessment methods used in the curriculum. For instance, in Aristotle Leads the Way, students have to compare the cosmology of Pythagoras and Aristotle. In Newton at the Center, students must identify which Law of Motion a particular scenario represents.

The lessons are directed to classroom learning and include a lot of group activities; however, they are easily adapted to a homeschool situation. Most of the supplies needed for the labs are obtainable locally; however, you will need to purchase some basic lab supplies such as bar magnets, spring scales, thermometers, and graduated cylinders that can be purchased online.

This is a secular curriculum. It treats all religions the same and in a literary and historical context. Christian homeschoolers may be offended by statements made in the text that creation stories, including those in the Bible, are considered a myth, as well as by the use of Common Era (B.C.E. and C.E.), rather than B.C. and A.D. The explanation for the usage of Common Era is covered in the beginning of each of the first two books. Christians may want to add supplemental material that explains an alternative viewpoint.

Homeschool parents who want to give their children a challenging, classical, science education; who enjoy a historical approach to teaching science; and who are preparing their children for mathematical and scientific careers will benefit most from this series. I would not recommend it for students with learning difficulties, students who need only a general education in science, or students who have trouble staying on topic. The layout of the books is similar to the Usborne books with lots of sidebars, photos with captions, and graphs interwoven throughout the text. For some students, this type of layout makes it difficult for them to focus. However, students who enjoy lots of pictures, charts, graphs, and sidebars will love it.

If I were still homeschooling, I would enjoy using this curriculum to give my children a historical background on the evolution of scientific thought, introduce them to the scientists and their contributions to science today, and challenge my children's reasoning skills.

Great start to a great science series!
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R607KEGY4UP4P Hi, this is Joanne, a bioengineering instructor at the University of Illinois.I read science books and review them.See more at my youtube site http://www.youtube.com/user/joannelovesscience

If my brain is tired from reading all those high level science journals, I take a break and read about science in a fun, lighthearted but still informative way with Joy Hakim's The Story of Science Series.Great for educators and homeschoolers, too! Covers the basics of physical sciences thoroughly but at a middle to high school level.

Science made interesting
I have advanced technical degrees and found this book delightful in its presentation and content. It can be viewed as a text book, a coffee table book or as a brief overview of the scientific ideas of ancient times.It succeeds on all levels and although aimed at 8th grade level it should appeal to more advanced students and casual readers. I plan to get the other books in the series very soon. ... Read more