History of science Books
Oxford University Press The Astronomer and the Witch
Book SynopsisJohannes Kepler (1571-1630) was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. A defender of Copernicus s sun-centred universe, he famously discovered that planets move in ellipses, and defined the three laws of planetary motion. Perhaps less well known is that in 1615, when Kepler was at the height of his career, his widowed mother Katharina was accused of witchcraft. The proceedings led to a criminal trial that lasted six years, with Kepler conducting his mother''s defence. In The Astronomer and the Witch, Ulinka Rublack pieces together the tale of this extraordinary episode in Kepler''s life, one which takes us to the heart of his changing world. First and foremost an intense family drama, the story brings to life the world of a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at a time of deep religious and political turmoil - a century after the Reformation, and on the threshold of the Thirty Years'' War.Kepler''s defence of his mother also offers us a fascinating glimpse into the great astronomer''s world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. While advancing rational explanations for the phenomena which his mother''s accusers attributed to witchcraft, Kepler nevertheless did not call into question the existence of magic and witches. On the contrary, he clearly believed in them. And, as the story unfolds, it appears that there were moments when even Katharina''s children wondered whether their mother really did have nothing to hide...Trade ReviewCompelling. * Hannah Murphy, Isis Review *Ulinka Rublack shows wonderful sensitivity about mothers, old age, and female struggles, as she unpicks the trial of Johannes Kepler's mother for witchcraft. * Marina Warner, Book of the Year 2015, Observer *An enthralling book. * Jennifer Rampling, Nature *Excellent ... meticulously researched and wonderfully readable. * John Banville, Literary Review *Ulinka Rublack's book about Katharina Kepler, and her sons extraordinary defence of her, is fine-grained microhistory, but it's also revealing of the larger ideas that framed their world ... Superstition and science, rather than being successive stages in the ascent of reason, co-existed so closely and dynamically that the definition of neither is reliable. The Astronomer and the Witch illustrates this complexity, and its transitions, with agility and sensitivity. * Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books *[an] important new book ... [which] offers an extended meditation on family relationships, and in particular that indelible but intangible bond between a mother and her son. * Jan Machielsen, Times Literary Supplement *[A] superb study ... The author wanted her book to provide a "better understanding of individuals, but also of families, a community, and an age". It succeeds triumphantly. * Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald *Rublack tells [this] story with a novelist's panache. Even if you know what happened, it's a compelling book. She sketches the vivid details that make the time, place and characters come to life ... The Tale of the Witch and the Mathematician - unmissable. * Mark Greener, Fortean Times *In 1615, an illiterate widow is accused of witchcraft in a German town. Her son, the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler, conducts her defence in a trial that drags on for six years. In this enthralling book, Ulinka Rublack reconstructs the struggle over Katharina Kepler's fate. We enter a small-town world of rivalries, friendships, deference, power and vulnerability, a world in which religious faith, scientific knowledge and folk belief are dangerously intertwined. Vividly drawn and subtly observed, The Astronomer and the Witch opens a window onto the inner life of a past that is strange and remote, but also unsettlingly familiar. * Christopher Clark *Table of ContentsTIMELINE OF JOHANNES KEPLER'S LIFE, 1571-1620; NOTE ON DATES; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS; MAPS; PROLOGUE; NOTES; FURTHER READING AND VIEWING; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INDEX
£13.49
Oxford University Press Curious Tales from Chemistry
Book SynopsisThis is a book about discovery and disaster, exploitation and invention, warfare and science - and the relationship between human beings and the chemical elements that make up our planet. Lars Ohrstrom introduces us to a variety of elements from S to Pb through tales of ordinary and extraordinary people from around the globe. We meet African dictators controlling vital supplies of uranium; eighteenth-century explorers searching out sources of precious metals; industrial spies stealing the secrets of steel-making. We find out why the Hindenburg airship was tragically filled with hydrogen, not helium; why nail-varnish remover played a key part in World War I; and the real story behind the legend of tin buttons and the downfall of Napoleon. In each chapter, we find out about the distinctive properties of each element and the concepts and principles that have enabled scientists to put it to practical use. These are the fascinating (and sometimes terrifying) stories of chemistry in action.Table of ContentsPREAMBLE: THE PERIODIC TABLE AND THE DA VINCI CODE; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; BIBLIOGRAPHY; NOTES
£12.59
Oxford University Press Pieter Zeeman
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£57.00
Oxford University Press Harrison Decoded
Book SynopsisHarrison Decoded: Towards a Perfect Pendulum Clock brings together the output of a forty-year collaborative research project that unpicked and put into practice the fine details of John Harrison''s extraordinary pendulum clock system. Harrison predicted that his unique method of making pendulum clocks could provide as much as one-hundred-times the stability of those made by his contemporaries. However, his final publication, which promised to describe the system, was a chaotic jumble of information, much of which had nothing to do with clockwork. One contemporary reviewer of Harrison''s book could only suggest that the end result was a product of Harrison''s ''superannuated dotage.''The focus of this book centres on the making, adjusting, and testing of Clock B which was the subject of various trials at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The modern history of Clock B is accompanied by scientific analysis of the clock system, Clock B''s performance, the methods of data-gathering alongside historical perspectives on Harrison''s clockmaking, that of his contemporaries, and some evaluation of the possible influence of early 18th century scientific thought.Trade ReviewThis is an intriguing book that anyone interested in clocks and their history will enjoy. * John Haine, University of Bristol, Journal for the History of Astronomy *Revolutionary work. * Bob Frishman, Kronoscope *The essays in this fascinating book effectively chart the progress of an extraordinary experiment, conducted over decades but with a recent, and very remarkable outcome * James Nye, The Antiquarian Horological Society Chairman *Combining historical context, technical details and experimental information, this well-illustrated edited collection describes the challenges as well as the delights of historical reconstruction. * Patricia Fara, Emeritus Fellow of Claire College, Cambridge *The authors provide a wonderful vindication of a native genius, following the original work of Martin Burgess. They give us an explanation of an alternative technology to the one accepted for the past 300 years, when it comes to the design of a mechanical precision timekeeper. * Anthony Randall, Winner of the Tomplon Medal from The Clockmaker's Company *This authoritative and accessible collection of essays tells the fascinating story of [the great clockmaker John Harrison], and how Harrison's enigmatic and astute eighteenth-century account of high-reliability pendulum motion and timekeeping was at last vindicated. * Simon Schaffer, University of Cambridge *Table of Contents1: Introducing the precision pendulum clock by Rory McEvoy 2: The origins of John Harrison's 'Pendulum-Clock' technology by Andrew King 3: Introducing Martin Burgess, clockmaker by William Andrewes 4: Rescuing Martin Burgess's Clock B by Donald Saff 5: Reflections on making clocks Harrison's way by Martin Burgess 6: Completing Clock B by Charles Frodsham et al 7: Adjusting and testing Clock B at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich by Jonathan Betts 8: Crunching the numbers: analysis of Clock B's performance at Greenwich by Tom van Baak 9: Decoding the Physical Theory of Harrison's Timekeepers by Mervyn Hobden 10: Analysis of the mechanisms for compensation in Clock B by David Harrison Appendix: Update on Clock B by Rory McEvoy
£35.00
Oxford University Press Inc Copernicus
Book SynopsisNicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) is a pivotal figure in the birth of modern science, the astronomer who stopped the sun and set the earth in motion. Born in Poland, educated at Cracow and then in Italy, he served all of his adult life as a church administrator. His vision of a sun-centered universe, shocking to many and unbelievable to most, turned out to be the essential blueprint for a physical understanding of celestial motions, thereby triggering what is commonly called the Copernican revolution. A first edition of his world-changing treatise, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, has most recently been auctioned for more than $2 million.In this book, leading historian of science Owen Gingerich sets Copernicus in the context of a rapidly changing world, where the recent invention of printing with moveable type not only made sources more readily available to him, but also fueled Martin''s Luther''s transformation of the religious landscape. In an era of geographical exploration and discovery, new ideas were replacing time-honored concepts about the extent of inhabited continents. Gingerich reveals Copernicus'' heliocentric revolution as an aesthetic achievement not dictated by observational proofs, but another new way of looking at the ancient cosmos.Deftly combining astronomy and history, this Very Short Introduction offers a fascinating portray of the man who launched the modern vision of the universe. Out of Gingerich''s engaging biography emerges the image of a scientist, intellectual, patriot, and reformer, who lived in an era when political as well as religious beliefs were shifting.Trade ReviewThis short book is superb. * Ian Welland, Astronomy Now *A superb contribution to the series. * John Henry, Annals of Science *A very strong introduction to Copernicus - an introduction whose unexpected elements make it surprising and enjoyable to read. * Christopher M. Graney, Metascience Review *An easy read, with a great deal to teach us all about both science and history. In all, a most enjoyable book. * Juan A. Añel, Contemporary Physics *Gingerich is clearly a fan of Copernicus and this superb little book will make you a fan too. * David W. Hughes, The Observatory *In eight short chapters that carefully combine biographical and conceptual elements, Gingerich gives readers the benefit of his unparalleled knowledge of Copernicus and his work. * Michel-Pierre Lerner, Journal for the History of Astronomy *Table of ContentsList of illustrations Acknowledgments Prologue 1. Copernicus, the young scholar 2. The architecture of the heavens 3. Copernicus's vision 4. Canon days and the Little Commentary 5. Competing with Ptolemy 6. Rheticus 7. De revolutionibus 8. The book nobody read Appendix 1: Copernicus's alternative to the equant Appendix 2: De revolutionibus as a recipe book for planetary positions References Further reading Index
£12.46
Oxford University Press Evolutionary Writings
Book Synopsis''Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin''On topics ranging from intelligent design and climate change to the politics of gender and race, the evolutionary writings of Charles Darwin occupy a pivotal position in contemporary public debate. This volume brings together the key chapters of his most important and accessible books, including the Journal of Researches on the Beagle voyage (1845), the Origin of Species (1871), and the Descent of Man, along with the full text of his delightful autobiography. They are accompanied by generous selections of responses from Darwin''s nineteenth-century readers from across the world. More than anything, they give a keen sense of the controversial nature of Darwin''s ideas, and his position within Victorian debates about man''s place in nature.The wide-ranging introduction by James A. Secord, Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project, explores the global impact and origins of Darwin''s work and the reasons forTrade ReviewPerceptive introduction. * The Guardian *Table of ContentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCHES; ORIGIN OF SPECIES; DESCENT OF MAN; AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
£9.49
Oxford University Press Selected Writings
Book Synopsis''Philosophy is written in this great book which is continually open before our eyes - I mean the universe...''Galileo''s astronomical discoveries changed the way we look at the world, and our place in the universe. Threatened by the Inquisition for daring to contradict the literal truth of the Bible, Galileo ignited a scientific revolution when he asserted that the Earth moves. This generous selection from his writings contains all the essential texts for a reader to appreciate his lasting significance. Mark Davie''s new translation renders Galileo''s vigorous Italian prose into clear modern English, while William R. Shea''s version of the Latin Sidereal Message makes accessible the book that created a sensation in 1610 with its account of Galileo''s observations using the newly invented telescope.All Galileo''s contributions to the debate on science and religion are included, as well as key documents from his trial before the Inquisition in 1633. A lively introduction and clear notesTrade Reviewincludes substantial explanatory notes and a useful introduction, but what really brings it alive is the readable modern language of the translations ... it makes [Galileo's] ideas accessible ... and available to a much wider audience. * Astronomy and Geophysics *This book is an absolute joy. * The Observatory *Includes substantial explanatory notes and a useful introduction, but what really brings it alive is the readable modern language of the translations ... it makes [Galileo's] ideas accessible ... and available to a much wider audience. * Astronomy and Geophysics *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY; A CHRONOLOGY OF GALILEO; A SIDEREAL MESSAGE; LETTERS ON THE SUNSPOTS; SCIENCE AND RELIGION; FROM THE ASSAYER; DIALOGUE ON THE TWO CHIEF WORLD SYSTEMS; THE TRIAL; TWO NEW SCIENCES; EXPLANATORY NOTES; INDEX
£10.44
The University of Chicago Press The Oldest Living Things in the World
Book SynopsisTakes you on a journey through time and space. The author begins at year zero, and looks back from there, photographing the past in the present. Alongside the photographs, she combines tales of her worldly adventures tracking down these subjects with informative insight from the scientists who are studying them and their environments.Trade Review"The Oldest Living Things in the World adds in dramatic manner a fascinating new perspective-literally, dinosaurs-of the living world around us." (Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University) "The durable mystery of longevity makes the species in this book all the more precious, and all the more worthy of being preserved. Looking at an organism that has endured for thousands of years is an awesome experience, because it makes us feel like mere gastrotrichs. But it is an even more awesome experience to recognize the bond we share to a 13,000-year-old Palmer's oak tree, and to wonder how we evolved such different times on this Earth." (Carl Zimmer, from the preface)"
£49.40
The University of Chicago Press Hybrid
Book SynopsisDrawing on historical and scientific accounts, as well as a rich trove of anecdotes, this title shows how scientists, amateur breeders, and countless anonymous farmers and gardeners slowly caused the evolutionary pressures of nature to be supplanted by those of human needs.Trade Review"Kingsbury's account should be required reading for students preparing for a future as a plant breeder, geneticist, or molecular biologist. Fortunately, that requirement should prove unnecessary - the book is engaging at many levels, and I expect many scientists and lay readers to pick it up on their own accord." (Science) "This engaging history of the genetic milestones and individuals that have shaped the field helps to fill a long-standing gap." (Choice) "Apart from the amazing factual content, [Hybrid] is also a tale of human endeavour that will fascinate all those who love a good story, and one that I know I shall want to return to time and again." (English Gardener) "The scope of this well-researched book is stunning; it is apparent that the work was a labor of love. Kingsbury is thorough, and each chapter is a rewarding feast of narrative and information.... Hybrid is a masterful work by an admirably ambitious author." (American Gardener) "Shoppers who shun genetically modified foods in favor of 'natural' fruits and veggies may be in for a surprise. Horticulturalist Kingsbury's lively history documents the history of human meddling with plant genes since the dawn of agriculture." (Discover)"
£19.00
The University of Chicago Press Geographies of NineteenthCentury Science
Book SynopsisGathers essays that deftly navigate the spaces of science in this significant period and reveal how each is embedded in wider systems of meaning, authority, and identity. This title makes clear that the science of this era varied in its constitution and reputation in relation to place and personnel.
£57.00
The University of Chicago Press The Origins of Theoretical Population Genetics
Book SynopsisTracing the development of population genetics through the writings of such luminaries as Darwin, Galton, Pearson, Fisher, Haldane and Wright, this text sheds light on this complex field as well as its bearing on other branches of biology.
£26.60
The University of Chicago Press Knowledge Flows in a Global Age
Book SynopsisA transnational approach to understanding and analyzing knowledge circulation. The contributors to this collection focus on what happens to knowledge and know-how at national borders. Rather than treating it as flowing like currents across them, or diffusing out from center to periphery, they stress the human intervention that shapes how knowledge is processed, mobilized, and repurposed in transnational transactions to serve diverse interests, constraints, and environments. The chapters consider both what knowledge travels and how it travels across borders of varying permeability that impede or facilitate its movement. They look closely at a variety of platforms and objects of knowledge, from tangible commoditieslike hybrid wheat seeds, penicillin, Robusta coffee, naval weaponry, seed banks, satellites and high-performance computersto the more conceptual apparatuses of plant phenotype data and statistics. Moreover, this volume decenters the Global North, tracking how knowledge movesTrade Review“Over the past decade, Krige has positioned himself as one of the foremost scholars investigating the seemingly simple yet, in truth, incredibly intricate and complicated issue of how and why knowledge moves around. Whereas his previous work focused on the power, utility and impact of scientific networks during the twentieth century, particularly in the nuclear field, Krige has now moved into the even broader field of knowledge mobility itself. . . . Similar to its predecessor, [Knowledge Flows in a Global Age] once again challenges us to rethink our taken-for-granted assumptions of how and why knowledge moves around, and what factors prevent it from doing so (or, more directly, what factors may deny the designation of knowledge in the first place). It is, for this reason, a richly stimulating collection the significance of which, true to its transnational outlook, transgresses standard disciplinary assumptions, disrupts interpretive frameworks and asks us to reconsider our own roles as academics in these processes.” * Annals of Science *“The volume shows clearly that the very idea of ‘progress’ is wrought with tension, where some actors are constricted by the liberal contractual framework and are expected to generate profits, while others seek to establish asymmetric relations in the contest for the military and technoscientific superiority. Knowledge Flows in a Global Age reads as a compendium of the complexities of transnational knowledge transfer questioning the notion of effortless globalization. It does important work that will certainly be useful for a wide range of scholarship.” * H-Diplo *"Krige and his collaborators have assembled a powerful array of studies that reconfigure conventional narratives about how knowledge flows. Divided among historical case studies related in some way or another to national and economic security, on the one hand, and agricultural exchanges, on the other, the volume avoids the usual binaries of Global North and Global South—or of guns and butter—emphasizing the efforts to block, shape, or redirect the flow of knowledge. The cast of characters and the variety of regions is massively expanded, to excellent effect." -- Michael D. Gordin, Princeton University“For too long, ‘global’ histories of science have envisioned an antiquated hydraulic mechanism, pumping out authorized knowledge from northern laboratories to southern deserts. At last, this book reveals instead the densely and intricately reticulated worldwide networks transmitting the concepts and practices of modern science. Abandoning the imperial optic for such multi-sited transnational perspectives makes global science look truly different and far more compelling." -- Warwick Anderson, University of Sydney"An excellent, absorbing, and refreshingly revisionist collection of cutting-edge studies by eminent scholars in the transnational history of modern science and technology, organized and edited by a pioneer in the field. Integrating enlightening empirical examinations with penetrating analyses, the volume illuminates brilliantly forces that both propelled and blocked knowledge flow across national borders." -- Zuoyue Wang, California State Polytechnic UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Writing the Transnational History of Knowledge Flows in a Global Age John Krige Chapter 1 Knowledge, State Power, and the Invention of International Science Jessica Wang Part I: Regulating Transnational Knowledge Flows Chapter 2 Harnessing Invention: The British Admiralty and the Political Economy of Knowledge in the World War I Era Katherine C. Epstein Chapter 3 Culture Diplomacy: Penicillin and the Problem of Anglo-American Knowledge Sharing in World War II Michael A. Falcone Chapter 4 Dangerous Calculations: The Origins of the US High-Performance Computer Export Safeguards Regime, 1968–1974 Mario Daniels Chapter 5 Regulating the Transnational Flow of Intangible Knowledge of Space Launchers between the United States and China in the Clinton Era John Krige Part II: Facilitating Transnational Knowledge Flows Chapter 6 Beyond Borlaug’s Shadow: Mexican Seeds and the Narratives of the Green Revolution Gabriela Soto Laveaga Chapter 7 Moving Coffee from the Cloud Forests of Colonial Angola to the Breakfast Tables of Main Street America, 1940–1961 Maria Gago Chapter 8 Statistics and Emancipation from New Deal America to Guerrilla Warfare in Guinea-Bissau Tiago Saraiva Chapter 9 Security versus Sovereignty in a Palestinian Seed Bank Courtney Fullilove Chapter 10 How Data Cross Borders: Globalizing Plant Knowledge through Transnational Data Management and Its Epistemic Economy Sabina Leonelli Conclusion Decentering the Global North John Krige Acknowledgments Contributors Index
£102.60
The University of Chicago Press Split and Splice A Phenomenology of
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Split and Slice borrows new perspectives from a broad range of scholarly fields, generating a long list of cited authors who are rarely associated in the same book. Rheinberger moves easily from phenomenology to biology and from science to art, and vice versa. . . . The book is in a way exhaustive, addressing many of the most significant issues discussed in science studies during the last decades, for instance the importance of practice and technologies, the rich source of information represented by notebooks, and in particular the protocols shared by the different members of a laboratory. Only Rheinberger could write such a book, which wanders between phenomenology and sociology of science, while still remaining engaging and attractive.” * Journal of the History of Biology *“What's in an experiment? In this English edition of Split and Splice: A Phenomenology of Experimentation, a leading historian and philosopher of biology returns in fine form to renew his long-standing plea for scholarly attention to the human and material elements shaping experimentation in the life sciences. In this book, Rheinberger again pulls from the primary literature with which he is most familiar, that in molecular biology, to probe how both research materials and researchers' encounters with them, through experiments, shape the emergence of scientific knowledge. . . . There is much of interest to the working biologist in Split and Splice. Rheinberger offers a convincing way of characterizing the biologist's role in her craft: She is the mediator between the real and the written; between the world of the living and the books and papers that, eventually, report new discoveries.” * FASEB Journal *“A highly original, systematically organized, and empirically enriched essay on scientific experimentation. . . . While its first part convinces with a precise and logically ordered analysis, the second part leads through a broad variety of philosophical thoughts and observations. . . . The reader is taken on an impressive journey through the vast territories of experimental knowledge cultures. And it adds to the surprises of the journey that each and every part of it is enriched with examples from the history of molecular biological experimentation.” * Minerva *“This book provides a captivating perspective on an essential area in the development of a comprehensive and cohesive epistemology of experimentation. Until now, this subject has only been approached in an incomplete and piecemeal manner. Therefore, this book is an absolute necessity for scholars seeking a holistic understanding of experimental practices, including those often overlooked aspects that are crucial for a true and impactful comprehension of the vital role that experiments play in shaping modern science.” * Metascience *“Recommended.” * Choice *“Perched between recursivity and transgression, precision and poetics—just like the research practices it discusses—this eagerly awaited volume is the ultimate exploration of the constellation of technologies, techniques, materials, and ‘savage moments’ that make experiments into a quintessential form of inquiry. Building on three decades of world-leading research in the history and philosophy of biology, Rheinberger shows how, in life as in science, experiments epitomize the human aspiration to intervene in the world with predictable results, and yet their power lies in exposing the limits of attempts to control and foresee the future. An unmissable read for anybody wishing to understand how science thrives by failing to carve nature at its joints.” -- Sabina Leonelli, University of Exeter“In this new book, drawing on his groundbreaking Toward a History of Epistemic Things, Rheinberger explores the logic of a ‘phenomenology of experimentation.’ Attentive to the materiality of science, it brings out the creative, epistemic, and collective dimensions of scientific production in experimental context. Written by a historian and philosopher of science trained in molecular biology, Split and Splice opens up the path to a genuine historical epistemology of the forms of scientific practices for the twenty-first century.” -- Pierre-Olivier Méthot, Université LavalTable of ContentsList of FiguresIntroduction Part I Infra-Experimentality1 Traces2 Models3 Making Visible4 Grafting5 Protocols Part II Supra-Experimentality6 Shapes of Time7 Experimental Cultures8 Knowing and Narrating9 Thinking Wild10 A Eulogy of the FragmentPostscriptAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex of Names
£22.80
University of Chicago Press Climate by Proxy
£28.00
University of Chicago Press Unearthed
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£31.50
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) The British Atlantic World 15001800
Book SynopsisDAVID ARMITAGE is Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History at Harvard University, USA.MICHAEL J. BRADDICK is Professor of History at the University of Sheffield, UK.
£30.39
MIT Press Ltd The Book of Michael of Rhodes A Fifteenth
Book SynopsisEssays explore the world of Michael of Rhodes, examining the historical context, the discovery of his manuscript, and Michael's knowledge of mathematics, shipbuilding, navigation, and other topics.In the fifteenth century, a Venetian mariner, Michael of Rhodes, wrote and illustrated a text describing his experiences in the Venetian merchant and military fleets. He included a treatise on commercial mathematics and treatments of contemporary shipbuilding practices, navigation, calendrical systems, and astrological ideas. This manuscript, “lost,” or at least in unknown hands for over 400 years, has never been published or translated in its entirety until now. In volume 3, nine experts, including the editors, discuss the manuscript, its historical context, and its scholarly importance. Their essays examine the Venetian maritime world of the fifteenth century, Michael's life, the discovery of the manuscript, the mathematics in the book, the use of illustration, the nav
£43.20
MIT Press Models of My Life MIT Press The MIT Press
Book SynopsisIn this candid and witty autobiography, Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon looks at his distinguished and varied career, continually asking himself whether (and how) what he learned as a scientist helps to explain other aspects of his life.A brilliant polymath in an age of increasing specialization, Simon is one of those rare scholars whose work defines fields of inquiry. Crossing disciplinary lines in half a dozen fields, Simon's story encompasses an explosion in the information sciences, the transformation of psychology by the information-processing paradigm, and the use of computer simulation for modeling the behavior of highly complex systems.Simon's theory of bounded rationality led to a Nobel Prize in economics, and his work on building machines that think—based on the notion that human intelligence is the rule-governed manipulation of symbols—laid conceptual foundations for the new cognitive science. Subsequently, contrasting metaphors of the maze (Simon's vie
£51.30
University of Washington Press Charged
Book SynopsisTrade Review"An eminently readable, elegantly precise treatise on the topic of batteries." * Science *"An enjoyable and accessible book...Many readers may be susceptible to the trap of wide-eyed idealism in terms of environmental activism and the 'clean energy future' Turner discusses in this book. He strikes a great balance between optimism and pessimism on that front; he puts a lot of things into historical and highly realistic perspective. In doing so, he provides a roadmap for people who actually want to achieve a clean energy future, pointing to the pitfalls previous engineers fell into or carved themselves, and advising how to learn from those mistakes and forge ahead." * H-Environment (H-Net) *"Engrossing and sobering, Charged is essential reading for anyone concerned about environment, energy, and the sustainable future." * H-Sci-Med-Tech (H-Net) *"The book provides readers with a valuable history of battery technology, the interdependency of batteries and the environment, and the challenge (and perhaps impossibility) of just energy transition policies." * Environmental History *"[A] careful and scrupulously referenced historical account of an important object: where [the battery] came from, its evolving influences on society, and where it might be taking us. . . . No one who thinks seriously about our energy future should neglect either Turner’s warnings or his hopes." * Literary Review of Canada *
£25.32
Yale University Press On Faith and Science
Book SynopsisA captivating historical survey of the key debates, questions, and controversies at the intersection of science and religionTrade ReviewWinner of the Outstanding Academic Title for 2018 award sponsored by Choice“The most readable, comprehensive, and authoritative primer on science and religion now available. Larson and Ruse are superb story tellers.”—Ronald L. Numbers, University of Wisconsin Madison"A fresh, engaging, and even-handed assessment of the relations between science and religion by two of the world’s leading experts on the topic. Highly recommended."—Peter Harrison, author of The Territories of Science and Religion"Combining expertise in the philosophy and history of science, the distinguished authors re-consider the continuing overlapping of science and religion in world culture. The result is enlightening and morally uplifting."—John Henry, University of Edinburgh“Larson and Ruse are superb story tellers. This episodic, topical overview is the most readable, comprehensive, and authoritative combination now available.”—Ronald L. Numbers, University of Wisconsin-Madison"Larson and Ruse are superb story tellers. In this episodic, topical overview they survey the relations between “science” and “religion” from ancient Babylonian and Greek observers to contemporary geneticists and neurobiologists, from stars to sex, and from Jews and Christians to Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. On Faith and Science is the most readable, comprehensive, and authoritative combination now available."—Ronald L. Numbers, University of Wisconsin-Madison
£26.12
Yale University Press Epidemics and Society
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Brilliant and sobering.”—Paul Kennedy, Wall Street Journal"Snowden . . . examines the ways in which disease outbreaks have shaped politics, crushed revolutions, and entrenched racial and economic discrimination. . . . Gigantic in scope, stretching across centuries and continents, Snowden’s account seeks to explain, too, the ways in which social structures have allowed diseases to flourish."—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker“[A] necessary and persuasive book…In an updated introduction to his book, Snowden traces a comparable arrogance in our own leaders, who have allowed global inequalities to foster the illusion that infectious diseases, old and new, are a thing of the past.”—Tim Adams, The Guardian"Frank Snowden’s book presents a comprehensive historical perspective on societies' vulnerabilities to pandemics. The author presents these not as random events but rather endogenous: "Every society produces its own specific vulnerabilities". Pandemics help us understand societies' structures and their political priorities. A well-written, highly entertaining and relevant book."—Milton Hayek, Financial Times ‘Readers' Best Books’ “[A] wide-ranging study”—Laura Spinney, Nature"Covering roughly a millennium on about 550 pages is no small task…very readable"—Christoph Gradmann, The Lancet“This book shows us horrors and positive results of the past, from greater suffering and inequality to the creation of the World Health Organisation and Doctors Without Borders.”—Gloria Steinem, The Week“This wide-ranging book…argues that [epidemics] have been central to the development of our world, and continue to pose a significant threat to its survival. Such a grim reminder could hardly be more timely.”—Christopher Kissane, Irish Times Weekend“Epidemics and Society offers space for discussion and interdisciplinary perspectives that allow the reader to grasp the role played by infectious diseases in shaping human societies in all its complexity.”—Baptiste Baylac‐Paouly, Metascience“The worst demographic disaster of the twentieth century, is mentioned, but not analysed, in Snowden’s splendidly readable book, originally given as lectures to his undergraduate class at Yale. If the inter-disciplinary lectures were as clear and provocative with ideas as the book, they were fortunate students indeed.”—David Killingray, Family & Community History"Essential reading for anyone who is concerned about society’s preparedness to meet new microbial challenges and who appreciates the importance of history to develop effective and efficient responses."—Socrates Litsios, author of The Tomorrow of Malaria“A superb synthesis of a complex and important topic. Snowden brings to the subject a wealth of previous research on disease and brilliantly integrates his work into more general historical concerns. A major achievement.”—William Bynum, author of A Little History of Science"Professor Snowden provides an authoritative and very readable historical account of several of the major the major infectious diseases epidemics that have afflicted mankind with a focus on their impact on society."—Brian Greenwood, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine"In an era of rapidly emerging diseases, Epidemics and Society reminds us that in framing epidemics we are also, always, refiguring human life and fate in relation to ecology and society."—Warwick Anderson, author of Colonial Pathologies: American Tropical Medicine, Race, and Hygiene in the Philippines“A distinctive and very useful contribution to the public understanding of disease."—Mark Harrison, author of Contagion: How Commerce Has Spread Disease and Director, Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine
£17.09
Hachette Book Group USA The Pinball Effect
Book Synopsis* Subtitle: HOW RENAISSANCE WATER GARDENS MADE THE CARBURETTOR POSSIBLE AND OTHER JOURNEYS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE. Phew!!
£17.09
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc How Things Work The Inner Life of Everyday
Book Synopsis Million-copy bestselling author of The Elements, Molecules, and Reactions Theodore Gray applies his trademark mix of engaging stories, real-time experiments, and stunning photography to the inner workings of machines, big and small, revealing the extraordinary science, beauty, and rich history of everyday things. Theodore Gray has become a household name among fans, both young and old, of popular science and mechanics. He''s an incorrigible tinkerer with a constant curiosity for how things work. Gray''s readers love how he always brings the perfect combination of know-how, humor, and daring-do to every project or demonstration, be it scientific or mechanical. In How Things Work he explores the mechanical underpinnings of dozens of types of machines and mechanisms, from the cotton gin to the wristwatch to an industrial loom. Filled with stunning original photographs in Gray''s inim
£22.50
Little, Brown & Company The Icepick Surgeon
Book SynopsisFrom a New York Times bestselling author comes the gripping, untold history of science's darkest secrets, 'a fascinating book [that] deserves a wide audience' (Publishers Weekly, starred review).Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually. But sometimes, when obsession gets the better of scientists, they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister. Under this spell, knowledge isn’t everything, it’s the only thing—no matter the cost. Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science, trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process.The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history, beginning with Cleopatra’s dark deeds in ancient Egypt. The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s, as well as Thomas Edison’s mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project. But the sins of science aren’t all safely buried in the past. Many of them, Kean reminds us, still affect us today. We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy, and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care. Kean even takes us into the future, when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new ways to do one another wrong.Unflinching, and exhilarating to the last page, The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale. With his trademark wit and precision, Kean shows that, while science has done more good than harm in the world, rogue scientists do exist, and when we sacrifice morals for progress, we often end up with neither.
£14.24
Little, Brown Book Group Human Frontiers
Book Synopsis''A fascinating book . . . Bhaskar is a reassuringly positive and often witty guide''Observer''A fascinating, must-read book covering a vast array of topics from the arts to the sciences, technology to policy. This is a brilliant and thought-provoking response to one of the most critical questions of our age: how we will come up with the next generation of innovation and truly fresh ideas?''Mustafa Suleyman, cofounder of DeepMind and Google VP''Have big ideas and big social and economic changes disappeared from the scene? Michael Bhaskar''s Human Frontiers is the best look at these all-important questions.''Tyler Cowen, author of The Great Stagnation and The Complacent Class''Michael Bhaskar explores the disturbing possibility that a complacent, cautious civilization has lost ambition and is slowly sinking into technological stagnation rather than accelerating into a magical future. He is calling foTrade ReviewA fascinating, must-read book covering a vast array of topics from the arts to the sciences, technology to policy. This is a brilliant and thought-provoking response to one of the most critical questions of our age: how we will come up with the next generation of innovation and truly fresh ideas? -- Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder, DeepMind; Google VPHave 'Big Ideas' and big social and economic changes disappeared from the scene? Michael Bhaskar's HUMAN FRONTIERS is the best look at these all-important questions -- Tyler Cowen, author of THE GREAT STAGNATION and THE COMPLACENT CLASSMichael Bhaskar explores the disturbing possibility that a complacent, cautious civilisation has lost ambition, and is slowly sinking into technological stagnation, rather than accelerating into a magical future. He is calling for bold, adventurous innovators to go big again. A fascinating book -- Matt Ridley, author of HOW INNOVATION WORKSMichael Bhaskar deftly delivers big ideas about big ideas ... HUMAN FRONTIERS is an admiring stroll through the history of ideas and an impressive display of innovation erudition -- Safi Bahcall, author of LOONSHOTS: NURTURE THE CRAZY IDEAS THAT WIN WARS, CURE DISEASES, AND TRANSFORM INDUSTRIESMichael Bhaskar's HUMAN FRONTIERS is a greatly welcome contrast to both doom-and-gloom and overly boosterish views of humanity's future. It combines a masterful breadth of social perspective with an impressive grasp of our problems and potential solutions. Visionary and convincing -- Christine Peterson, co-founder, Foresight InstituteBhaskar wants us to believe that big ideas, sometimes seized upon in an instant, propel humankind's progress. The thesis is boldly and elegantly stated; the examples work in its favor. This important book demands our answer -- Margaret C. Jacob, University of California, Los AngelesSweeping in scope and thought-provoking throughout, HUMAN FRONTIERS is vital for understanding every aspect of Big Ideas: their origins, their role in societal progress, and how we can make more of them ... A paean to curiosity, HUMAN FRONTIERS is essential reading for understanding how science and progress works, and how it can work in the future -- Samuel Arbesman, Scientist in Residence, Lux Capital; author of OVERCOMPLICATED and THE HALF-LIFE OF FACTSThe world's big ideas are slowing down, but it needn't be that way. Bhaskar brilliantly shows how we can do better. If you loved books like HUMANKIND and SAPIENS, you'll love HUMAN FRONTIERS -- David Bodanis, author of EINSTEIN’S GREATEST MISTAKE and THE ART OF FAIRNESSIdeas through history often reconfigure our world. But is this vital process slowing down and stagnating? With infectious enthusiasm and verve, Michael Bhaskar addresses these questions by taking us on an exhilarating grand tour of the history and future of big ideas. Bhaskar's inspiring call to arms, shining a bright and unflinching light on the challenges we face, is itself a reason to feel hopeful -- Ziyad Marar, author of JUDGED: THE VALUE OF BEING MISUNDERSTOODFull of fascinating stories and surprising insights, HUMAN FRONTIERS is one of the most exciting and thought-provoking books I've read in years. Only a genuine polymath like Michael Bhaskar could write a book as big and bold as this -- Roman Krznaric, author of THE GOOD ANCESTOR: HOW TO THINK LONG TERM IN A SHORT-TERM WORLDthe most important book that I have read in a long time. With a broadside of explosive arguments, superb examples that effortlessly jump from big science to literature and back again, and an unputdownable writing style, Michael Bhaskar explains why our civilization appears to have run out of big ideas. An essential read -- Mark Piesing, journalist and author of N-4 DOWN: THE HUNT FOR THE ARCTIC AIRSHIP ITALIAA brilliant, and brilliantly readable, survey of the frontiers of human ingenuity and how we might, just, think our way through the big challenges of the century ahead -- Professor Sir Geoff Mulgan, UCLA fascinating book . . . Bhaskar is a reassuringly positive and often witty guide * Observer *
£10.99
WW Norton & Co The Story of Western Science From the Writings
Book SynopsisA guide to the best science writing, which tells the centuries-long story of our striving to understand the world.Trade Review"...if her [Susan Wise Bauer's] mission was to make an often out-of-reach subject accessible and—while science arguably is always relevant—feel more relevant, because you've gained an appreciation for the motivation, challenges and significance behind it, as well as its joys and quirks and brilliance, she's done a great job." -- The Herald"...a masterly account of the great minds who have helped expand human knowledge, from the earliest philosophers onwards." -- Sky at Night
£22.79
WW Norton & Co Tesla
Book SynopsisThough Tesla’s inventions transformed our world, his true originality is shown in the visionary ambitions he failed to achieve.Trade Review"Munson makes vivid the genius’s eventful life, from his mother’s inspirational labour-saving inventions to his psychological complexity — and his estimable belief that “technology should transcend the marketplace”." -- Nature"Munson tells the story engagingly. He manages to explain the important concepts and technical details clearly while keeping extraneous detail to a minimum." -- Times Literary Supplement"Richard Munson’s Tesla: Inventor of the Modern gives us a detailed and vivid glimpse of the competitive world of electrical innovation at the end of the 19th century, and emphasises the duality of his subject... most interesting and often amusing book..." -- The Spectator"... a superbly researched, entertaining and often saddening study of a man who gave the world so much yet took so little... It can only be hoped that Munson's excellent insight will finally reveal the truth behind this marvellous maverick to the world." -- All About History
£12.99
Taylor & Francis Ltd (Sales) Disease Medicine In World History Themes in
Book SynopsisDrawing on case studies from ancient Egypt to present-day America, Asia and Europe, Sheldon Watts presents this concise introduction to diverse ideas about diseases and their treatment throughout the world.Trade Review"Sheldon Watts has established a reputation as one of the world's premier scholars on global disease and medicine. Disease and Medicine in World History offers an insightful and provocative analysis of medical thought and practice situated securely in their social and cultural contexts." - Jerry H. Bentley, University of HawaiiTable of ContentsPreface, Acknowledgments, 1 Sickness and health, a global concern, 2 Before the advent of acute epidemic diseases. Pharaonic Egypt and the pre-conquest New World: extinct societies, 3 Pluralism in ancient Greece, 4 The evolution of medical systems in the Middle East c. 632 CE to modern times, 5 Health and disease on the Indian subcontinent before 1869, 6 Medicine and disease in China: concepts and practices from c. 1900 BCE to 1840 CE, 7 The globalization of disease after 1450, 8 Medicine and disease in the West, 1050–1840, 9 The birth of modern scientific medicine: the German lands contrasted with the United Kingdom and the British in India, 10 Health and medicine in the world, 1940 to the present, Bibliography, Index
£43.79
Taylor & Francis Ltd (Sales) The Routledge Guidebook to Einsteins Relativity
Book SynopsisAlbert Einstein, one of the most prolific scientists of the twentieth century, developed the theory of relativity which was crucial for the advancement of modern physics. Young Einstein identified a paradox between Newtonian Mechanics and Maxwellâs equations which pointed to a flawed understanding of space and time by the scientists of the day. In Relativity, Einstein presents his findings using a minimal amount of mathematical language, but the text can still be challenging for readers who lack an extensive scientific background.The Routledge Guidebook to Einsteinâs Relativity expands on and supplements this seminal text, by exploring: the historical context of Einsteinâs work and the background to his breakthroughs details of experimental verification of special and general relativity the enduring legacy of Einsteinâs theories and their implications for future scientific breakthroughs. This is an essential introduction for students of physics, philosophy and history in understanding the key elements of the work and the importance of this classic text to society today.Trade ReviewThis Guidebook is written in a style that is both authoritative and approachable. The reader is clearly in the hands of an expert author who is determined to make a challenging subject comprehensible and enjoyable.Professor Robert Lambourne, The Open University.Table of Contents1. Einstein’s life 2. The state of physics the start of the twentieth century 3. Coordinate systems 4. Foundations of Special Relativity 5. Time 6. Special Relativity 7. More results from Special Relativity 8. Experimental proofs of Special Relativity 9. General Relativity and the Equivalence Principle 10. General Relativity and Gravity 11. The formulation of General Relativity 12. Experimental tests of General Relativity 13. Cosmology 14. The Future of Relativity. Index
£24.69
Taylor & Francis Ltd The Science of War Back to First Principles The
Book SynopsisForty years of confrontation in Europe have produced a complex set of conditioned reflexes in western military thinking. With the ending of the Warsaw pact, planning and analysis specialists have had to look again at the basic principles of war: there is no sure ground any more. The analysis of threat and response has been transformed and new patterns of likely action, such as the Gulf intervention, have been accommodated. In practical terms, this affects what is taught to both new officers and senior officers about to assume command responsibilities. The essays in the Science of War attempt to develop a broader understanding of the factors that operate at the higher levels of war, and to study the operational level of war from a general, speculative and penetrating viewpoint. Many contributors also attempt to integrate military theory and historical experience. The aim throughout is to lay down a theoretical grounding in the principles of the planning and conduct of war at the operTable of ContentsList of illustrations, Notes on contributors, Preface, Introduction, 1 THE LESSONS OF THE 1920s AND MODERN EXPERIENCE, 2 THE CONTRIBUTION OF ORIGINALITY TO MILITARY SUCCESS, 3 ECONOMY OF EFFORT: A PASSIVE PRINCIPLE, 4 LIDDELL HART AND THE INDIRECT APPROACH TO STRATEGY, 5 BURMA, 1943–5: WHAT LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE?, 6 INCREASING TEMPO ON THE MODERN BATTLEFIELD, 7 DEPTH FIREPOWER: THE VIOLENT, ENABLING ELEMENT, 8 THE FUTURE OF SURPRISE ON THE TRANSPARENT BATTLEFIELD, 9 THE IMPACT OF THE MEDIA ON THE PROSECUTION OF CONTEMPORARY WARFARE, 10 A STUDY OF EUROPEAN DEFENCE NEEDS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, Index
£43.99
Thames & Hudson Ltd The Scientists
Book SynopsisForty articles expertly curated by biographer Andrew Robinson provide an unrivalled account of the lives and personalities behind the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time. Who made us see the atom, our minds, our planet and the universe afresh? How did we uncover the mysteries of life on earth? What next? The theories, discoveries and inventions of scientists have revolutionized our consciousness. Think of gravity, evolution, relativity, radioactivity and the Big Bang; electric motors, vaccines, nuclear power and computers. Behind these breakthroughs lie the personal stories of men and women with vision and determination: singular thinkers who defied adversity in their quest for answers. This book tells the remarkable lives of the pioneers from Galileo, Faraday and Darwin, through Pasteur and Marie Curie, to Einstein, Freud and Turing. Written by an international team of distinguished scientists, historians and science writers, it will intrigue budding scientists; thoseTrade Review'Excellent ... of broad interest to scientists and non-scientists alike' - The Lancet'A sampler of the driven, complex, fascinating characters who fomented scientific revolutions' - NatureTable of ContentsUniverse Nicolaus Copernicus • Johannes Kepler • Galileo Galilei • Isaac Newton • Michael Faraday • James Clerk Maxwell • Albert Einstein • Edwin Powell Hubble Earth James Hutton • Charles Lyell • Alexander von Humboldt • Alfred Wegener Molecules and Matter Robert Boyle • Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier • John Dalton • Dmitri Mendeleev • August Kekulé • Dorothy Crowfoot • Hodgkin Chandrasekhara • Venkata Raman Inside the Atom Marie Curie and Pierre Curie • Ernest Rutherford • Niels Bohr • Linus Carl Pauling • Enrico Fermi • Hideki Yukawa Life Carl Linnaeus • Jan Ingenhousz • Charles Darwin • Gregor Mendel • Jan Purkinje • Santiago Ramón y Cajal • Francis Crick and James Watson Body and Mind Andreas Vesalius • William Harvey • Louis Pasteur • Francis Galton • Sigmund Freud • Alan Turing • John von Neumann • Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey
£11.69
Cambridge University Press John Dees Conversations with Angels
Book SynopsisJohn Dee's angel conversations have been an enigmatic facet of Elizabethan England's most famous natural philosopher's life and work. Professor Harkness contextualizes Dee's angel conversations within the natural philosophical, religious and social contexts of his time. These conversations include discussions of the natural world, the practice of natural philosophy, and the apocalypse.Trade Review" John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature, marks an important addition to Dee scholarship. For the first time, it places Dee's conversations with angels into a comprehensible framework. Harkness elegantly demonstrates that Dee's angel conversations were at the center of his mission to reform nature and the world in the midst of intellectual and religious tumult when the end of human history was imminently expected. This book brilliantly brings out the place of the angel conversations as exegetical aids in a natural philosophy that was meant to restore a corrupted and decaying Book of Nature. Natural philosophy was to provide a bridge between this world and the next, but only with the help of angels could faulty human perception and intelligence be remedied and the real significance of the things of nature be made clear." Pamela Smith, Pomona College"John Dee's 'angelic conversations' have long proved resistant to the attentions of intellectual historians. Deborah Harkness's impressive and important new book, by situating this unique intellectual formation in a full range of appropriate historical contexts not only makes them intelligible for the modern reader, but identifies some of the key cultural imperatives which shaped late-Elizabethan intellectual life." Stephen Clucas, Birkbeck College, University of London"[A] fascinating study." Religious Studies Review"Harkness' book is a welcome addition to Dee scholarship, one that perpahs will open the way to solving the questions that remain." Albion"Harkness's monography is a lively read that offers an interesting interpretation of Dee's works and their place within early modern intellectual life. It is a work that clearly deserves a place within the corpus of Dee scholarship." The Historian"Through careful description and analysis, Harkness takes us into that very strange world of early modern thought-a world of astrology, alchemy, and Christian cabala-which eventually led to the rise of science. This is a scholarly book, full of interesting footnotes and with an extensive bibliography, Such apparatus, however, should not dter the interested but nonacademic reader. This is clearly one of the best books to be published on esoteric spirituality during the Renaissance in recent years. It is clear, insightful, and a pleasure to read." the quest Sept-Oct 2001"This is a truly remarkable story and merits telling for its own sake. Harkness's version is beautifully written with rich footnoting and a good command of the sources. That she has told it unflinchingly and with sensitivity to its subject only adds to its value." Canadian Journal of HistoryTable of ContentsList of illustrations; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations and conventions; Introduction; Part I. Genesis: 1. The colloquium of angels: Prague, 1586; 2. Building Jacob's ladder: the genesis of the angel conversations; 3. Climbing Jacob's ladder: angelology as natural philosophy; Part II. Revelations: 4. 'Then commeth the ende': apocalypse, natural philosophy, and the angel conversations; 5. 'The true cabala': reading the book of nature; 6. Adam's alchemy: the medicine of God and the restitution of nature; Epilogue; Select bibliography; Index.
£24.29
Penguin Random House India Invisible Empire
Book SynopsisIt brings together science, history and great storytelling to paint a fascinating picture of viruses as a major actor, not just in human civilisation but also in the human body.
£17.99
Harvard University Press Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about
Book SynopsisRonald Numbers has recruited the leading scholars in this new history of science to puncture the myths, from Galileo’s incarceration to Darwin’s deathbed conversion to Einstein’s belief in a personal God who “didn’t play dice with the universe.” Each chapter in Galileo Goes to Jail shows how much we have to gain by seeing beyond the myths.Trade ReviewAn illuminating study of the relationship between science and religion...This book features the contributions of a team of 25 scholars that includes agnostics, atheists, and Christians. Their collective objective is to dispel the "hoary myths" of the supposedly bellicose relationship between religion and science. Readers will be fascinated by the evidence that for advocating Copernicanism, Galileo was not imprisoned (as commonly thought) but interrogated--albeit under the threat of torture--and set up in an apartment. Other misconceptions concern the connection between Darwinian thought and Nazi biology, Einstein's belief in God, and Islam's alleged hostility toward scientific enquiry. -- C. Brian Smith * Library Journal *A revealing book...Using "myth" in the popular sense, to mean falsehood, Galileo Goes to Jail debunks widespread misconceptions. -- Douglas Todd * Vancouver Sun *A splendid book. -- Christopher Howse * Daily Telegraph *As a collection, these myth-busting arguments work to soften the wedge responsible for the schism between science and religion. The topics and writing style will appeal to all readers, but students of science and religion should consider this essential reading. -- J. A. Hewlett * Choice *Informative and thought-provoking reading. -- Ernan McMullin * The Tablet *The volume's careful organization and execution reveal the kind of planning and teamwork absent from too many edited collections, but which have come to be expected from Numbers...Each chapter of Galileo Goes to Jail begins with two or three epigraphs that clearly convict scholarly and popular literature of perpetuating the myth in question. Most authors then explore the nuances of the myth, its origin, complexity, and longevity, before telling the "rest of the story." -- Mark A. Kalthoff * First Things *The authors necessarily spend the bulk of their time debunking attacks on religion in the name of science, but they also clear the muddy waters left behind when pro-religion forces try to obscure the scientific record...As Numbers points out in his introduction, fewer than half of the contributors are religious believers at all; and of those, there are only two evangelicals, one Catholic, and one Jew. In other words, they have no axe to grind, and their only agenda is to set the historical record straight. Given all of the polemics published today, this is a breath of fresh air. -- Ryan T. Anderson * Weekly Standard *[Ronald L. Numbers] is a religious agnostic whose scholarship on the history of American religion and science is marked by meticulous accuracy and impartiality...[This book was written] with ordinary readers, not specialists, in mind, making this a truly rare book: where else can you find such authoritative scholarship delivered so accessibly and fairly on such an important subject? -- Edward B. Davis * belief.net *Table of Contents* Contents * Acknowledgments * Introduction Ronald L. Numbers * Myth 1. That the Rise of Christianity Was Responsible for the Demise of Ancient Science David C. Lindberg * Myth 2. That the Medieval Christian Church Suppressed the Growth of Science Michael H. Shank * Myth 3. That Medieval Christians Taught That the Earth Was Flat Lesley B. Cormack * Myth 4. That Medieval Islamic Culture Was Inhospitable to Science S. Nomanul Haq * Myth 5. That the Medieval Church Prohibited Human Dissection Katharine Park * Myth 6. That the Copernican System Demoted Humans from the Center of the Cosmos Dennis R. Danielson * Myth 7. That Giordano Bruno Was the First Martyr of Modern Science Jole Shackelford * Myth 8. That Galileo Was Imprisoned and Tortured for Advocating Copernicanism Maurice A. Finocchiaro * Myth 9. That Christianity Gave Birth to Modern Science Noah Efron * Myth 10. That the Scientific Revolution Liberated Science from Religion Margaret J. Osler * Myth 11. That Catholics Did Not Contribute to the Scientific Revolution Lawrence Principe * Myth 12. That Rene Descartes Originated the Mind-Body Distinction Peter Harrison * Myth 13. That Isaac Newton's Mechanistic Cosmology Eliminated the Need for God Edward Davis * Myth 14. That the Church Denounced Anesthesia in Childbirth on Biblical Grounds Rennie B. Schoepflin * Myth 15. That the Theory of Organic Evolution Is Based on Circular Reasoning Nicolaas A. Rupke * Myth 16. That Evolution Destroyed Charles Darwin's Faith in Christianity--until He Reconverted on His Deathbed James Moore * Myth 17. That Huxley Defeated Wilberforce in Their Debate over Evolution and Religion David N. Livingstone * Myth 18. That Darwin Destroyed Natural Theology Jon H. Roberts * Myth 19. That Darwin and Haeckel Were Complicit in Nazi Biology Robert J. Richards * Myth 20. That the Scopes Trial Ended in Defeat for Antievolutionism Edward J. Larson * Myth 21. That Einstein Believed in a Personal God Matthew Stanley * Myth 22. That Quantum Physics Demonstrated the Doctrine of Free Will Daniel P. Thurs * Myth 23. That "Intelligent Design" Represents a Scientific Challenge to Evolution Michael Ruse * Myth 24. That Creationism Is a Uniquely American Phenomenon Ronald L. Numbers * Myth 25. That Modern Science Has Secularized Western Culture John Hedley Brooke * Notes * List of Contributors * Index
£23.36
Penguin Books Ltd Collecting the World
Book SynopsisHans Sloane was the greatest collector of his time, and one of the greatest of all time. His name is familiar today through the London streets and squares named after him, but the man himself, and his achievements, are almost forgotten.Born in the north of Ireland, Sloane made his fortune as a physician to London''s wealthiest residents. In 1687 he travelled to Jamaica, then at the heart of Britain''s commercial empire, to survey its natural history, and later organised a network of correspondents who sent him curiosities from across the world. He became one of the eighteenth century''s preeminent natural historians and assembled an astonishing collection of specimens, artefacts and oddities - the most famous curiosity cabinet of the age. Shortly after his death, Sloane''s vast collection was then acquired - as he had hoped - by the nation. It became the nucleus of the world''s first national public museum, the British Museum.This is the first biography of Sloane in over sixty years and the first based on his surviving collections. Early modern science and collecting are shown to be global endeavours intertwined with empire and slavery but which nonetheless produced one of the great public institutions of the Enlightenment, as the cabinet of curiosities gave way to the encyclopaedic museum. Collecting the World describes this pivotal moment in the emergence of modern knowledge, and brings this totemic figure back to life.Trade ReviewA magnificent scholarly coup and an enthralling read -- John Carey * The Sunday Times *A superb biography - human, judicious and as passionately curious as Sloane himself - and a model of how to write a history of collecting -- Arnold Hunt * Times Literary Supplement *Robust, thoughtful and elegantly crafted ... Not before time, the smart lad from Killyleagh, creator of one of the world's great civilising resources, has found his ideal chronicler -- Jonathan Keates * Spectator *In this fine and erudite book, Delbourgo recovers Sloane from the oblivion into which he has fallen -- Ruth Scurr * Financial Times *Approachable yet authoritative ... Delbourgo has at last given us a readable and entertaining single-volume account of Sloane's life and legacy -- Michael Hunter * Literary Review *
£14.24
SPCK Publishing Physicians Plagues and Progress
Book SynopsisA fascinating and adventurous insight into the origin and development of medicine and surgery.Trade Review"Using clarity of structure and a warm, engaging style, Allan Chapman brings us an elegant and accessible new introduction to the history of Western medicine." - Caroline Rance"This is medical history for the layman - and very good it is, too. Chapman's coverage is, as we have come to expect, comprehensive, covering everything that has contributed to the knowledge and treatment of physical and mental disorders. Highly recommended." - Derek Wilson"This thoroughly enjoyable book provides a comprehensive and highly compelling account of the way in which the pioneers of western medicine have, with equal measures of luck and judgement, driven its development from what was once no more than glorified sorcery to its current place as an established cutting edge science." - Dr Simon Atkins"This is a fascinating and comprehensive tour of the history of medicine and health care from prehistory to the modern world. This detailed overview of thousands of years of medical history is constantly brought to life through fascinating and arresting examples. It also reveals the complex interaction of different religious and scientific concepts and outlooks across time, and the role of technological advance in making progress possible. In each stage of the development of medical practice we are led to see how it interacted with the wider social context of the time and the mind-sets of those involved. Fast-paced, insightful and engaging." - Martyn WhittockTable of ContentsContentsList of illustrations XVIIAcknowledgments XXIPreface XXVI1 Physicians, Priests, and Folk Healers 1Ancient doctors 2Medicine in Egypt and other ancient cultures 5Moses and the lepers: A saga from Sinai to Scandinavia 9Hippocrates of Cos: Rational medicine, ethics, and the Oathof c. 430 BC 12Aristotle (384–322 BC) and the nature of living things 152 Galen: Surgeon to the Gladiators 19Aelius Claudius Galenus of Pergamum: Surgeon, showman,and public anatomist, AD 129–200/216 20Galen the anatomist and physiologist 22Galen’s physiology 24Roman surgery 27Celsus and his Encyclopedia of c. AD 30 31Galen’s infl uence: Medicine, ethics, religion, and teachingacross fi fteen centuries 353 Arabia: The First Fruits of Medieval Medicine 38Baghdad and The House of Wisdom 39Fire and water: Transformative forces 40Jabir (Geber) and Rhazes: Chemistry and medicine 41“I suppose that Avycen /Wroot nevere in no canon…”(Chaucer) 47Albucasis and Arabic surgery 49Arabic medicine in retrospect 524 Divine Light: Seeing and Perceiving in theMiddle Ages 55The anatomy of perception: What was “seeing”believed to be? 56Rainbows, colours, and perspective: Medieval Europe’snew key to physics 61Unravelling the colours of the rainbow: MedievalEurope’s great discovery 64Spectacles: The invention that changed the world 67Couching for cataract: Albucasis and medieval eye surgery 69The eye as an optical projector 725 Rahere the Jester Meets St Bartholomew 73Early medieval care: Leech books and herbals 74Salerno, near Naples: Europe’s fi rst hospital andmedical school 77The founding of St Bartholomew’s Hospital intwelfth-century London 82Cure of body and cure of soul: How clean weremedieval people? 896 Spiritual Inspiration, Miracle, Possession,Mental Illness, and the Brain 94Discerning clinical illness from spiritual states 94Epilepsy and the Hippocratic tradition in medieval Europe 98Cells, chambers, and fl uid fl ows: The medieval explanationfor brain function 102Margery Kempe (née Burnham or Brunham) andreligious visionaries 108“Bedlam”: A place of asylum for the distressed? 1117 In Time of Plague 113Epidemics: Sin, nature, and the plague of the Philistines 114The Black Death of 1347 and beyond 115A miscellany of medieval maladies 1248 Medicine and Surgery in High Medieval Europe,1200–1500, Part 1: Medicine and Anatomy in Europe’sMedieval Universities and Beyond 129Population growth, prosperity, and innovation 130Teaching anatomy, challenging myth, and the status ofexperimental knowledge 132Pus: Laudable or a liability? 135Theodoric Borgognoni of Lucca: Surgeon, hygienist,friar, and bishop 136The fi rst academic medical schools: A Europeaninnovation 138Mondino de Liuzzi of Bologna and his Anathomia 1409 Medicine and Surgery in High Medieval Europe,1200–1500, Part 2: Guy de Chauliac and theGreat Surgery of 1363 147A scientifi c physician at the papal court in Avignon 147Chirurgia Magna, or the “Great Surgery”: A medicalencyclopedia for future ages 149Guy de Chauliac: Victim, survivor, and student ofthe bubonic plague 154So was medieval surgery barbaric? 15410 Prince Hal and the Surgeons: The Rise of MedicalProfessionalism in England after 1300 158John of Arderne: Master surgeon of the age of Chaucer 159An unfortunate incident of an arrow in the face 161Towton Man: Sophisticated facial repair surgery inearly fi fteenth-century England 163The anonymous surgeon of HMS Mary Rose in 1545 165Gunpowder, God, and Europe’s surgical renaissance 167The Royal College of Physicians and the WorshipfulCompany of Barbers and Surgeons 17011 Antiquity Found Wanting in Renaissance Italy:Andreas Vesalius and His Infl uence 174Renaissance Italy and the “lesser circulation” of the blood:Andreas Vesalius, Padua, and the new anatomy ofthe Renaissance 176The art of the anatomical illustrator 178Vesalius and his De Fabrica of 1543 181Realdo Colombo, the Vesalian tradition, and the secretsof the heart 189Ambrose Paré: Renaissance master surgeon 19112 William Harvey and the Circulation of the Blood 195Origins and education 197Harvey establishes his professional career in London 199Of hearts, paradoxes, and purposes: Harvey’s road tothe blood circulation 201Announcing the whole-body circulation of the bloodin 1628 205Therapeutic innovations around Harvey’s time 21213 The Neurologist and the Archbishop of Canterbury,Part 1: The Oxford Experimental Club 217The hanging of Anne Greene 218Dr Thomas Willis of Oxford: Pioneer of neurology 222Fermentation, fevers, and chemistry 228Arthur Coga and the sheep: Experiments with blood andcirculation 23214 The Neurologist and the Archbishop of Canterbury,Part 2: Brains, Minds, and Souls in Seventeenth-Century England 236The Reverend Robert Burton: Anatomist of Melancholy 236Thomas Willis and his “circle” 240Death by lightning in 1666 246Fathoming the working of the mind in seventeenthcenturyEngland 249Archbishop Gilbert Sheldon, Doctor Willis, and the soul 25415 Breathing and Burning: Cardiology, Chemistry,and Combustion 258The breath of life 258Dr John Mayow: Air, fi re, blood, and life testedin the laboratory 263Robert Hooke and the dog 266Richard Lower, Tractatus de Corde, and the foundation ofcardiology 267Oxford’s enterprising apothecaries 27116 John Wesley’s Primitive Physick and the BritishPriest–Physician 274The Reverend John Ward, MA: Experimentalist andShakespeare anecdote collector 275John Wesley and simple medicine for the common man 279The country vicar who paved the way for aspirin 283Stephen Hales, Sydney Smith, and other medicalclergymen 28517 The Duty of Care: New Hospitals, Charities, andMedical Innovation in the Eighteenth Century 289A new tide of hospitals: London 290New hospitals across Great Britain 294The hospital as a “museum” of disease 298Teachers and discoverers in the eighteenth-centuryhospitals 301John Hunter FRS 30418 “Remember Poor Tom ’o Bedlam”: Dealing withthe “Mad” 307“Poor Tom’s a-cold”: Helping the insane in Stuart andGeorgian England 308Mad-doctors and madhouses 310The beginnings of compassionate care 311The Reverend Dr Francis Willis and King George III 314From scandal to care in York, and the rise of humanetreatment 31719 Charismatics, Quacks, and Folk Healers into theEarly Industrial Age 322Valentine Greatrakes: Irish gentleman faith healer 323Bartholomew Fair and other fairground quacks 324Learned quackery 327Quacks, showmen, and doctors 329Dover’s Powders and nostrums galore 336Mesmerism and phrenology 33720 Sewers, Soap, and Salvation: The Origins ofPublic Health 339The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus, FRS 340From cow to human: Dr Edward Jenner and the impactof vaccination 342Cholera 345Sanitation, statistics, and the Broad Street pump 348Dr John Snow and breakthrough at last 349Sanitation, civil engineers, and salvation 35021 “Them Damn’d Murderin’ Anatomists”: TheExpanding Medical Schools and the Supply ofCadavers 354The trade in “things” 355How to snatch a “thing”: The practicalities of“resurrecting” 357Edinburgh: The medical lion of the north 360“True Murderin’ Anatomists”: The Burke and Hare scandal,Edinburgh, 1828 363Dr Andrew Ure of Glasgow tries to raise the dead, 1818 365Bishop and Head, the London “Burkers”, and theAnatomy Act 367St Bernard’s, the Romance of a Medical Student, 1888 368Finding bones: A postscript 37122 The Miracle of the Microscope 372Joseph Jackson Lister, FRS: Quaker, microscopist, andgentleman of science 375Cells: Professor Virchow identifi es life’s building blocks 380Understanding cancer 383The French chemist and the German physician 38623 Chemistry and the Control of Pain: Anaesthesiaand Beyond 394Chemical anaesthesia: 16 October 1846, Boston, USA 395Chloroform: The Scottish wonder drug 401Anaesthesia, childbirth, and the Bible 403Dr John Snow: Founder of scientifi c anaesthesiology 404Morphine, cocaine, and the hypodermic 405Peaceful slumbers: New drugs to comfort and calm 40724 Glasgow, 1865: Young Jimmy Greenlees MeetsProfessor Lister: Antiseptic Surgery and Beyond 410Prelude: Vienna, 1847 411Glasgow, August 1865 413From antiseptic to aseptic surgery 416The new surgery 417The new operations 41925 The New Professional Healer: The Medical andNursing Professions Take Shape 424The Medical Act of 1858 425Homeopaths, water-curers, and Victorian alternativemedicine 426Nursing, the new medical profession: Sarah Podger,Mary Seacole, and Florence Nightingale 429Sir William Osler on the new physicians 43526 The Wonderful Century 437The drugs that hit the spot 437Penicillin and antibiotics 439Cancer: Radiology, chemotherapy, and body scans 442Adjusting the body’s own chemistry, physics, andengineering 446Who am I? Scientifi c medicine and the soul 450Conclusion: our modern duty of care 453Appendix 1: Cataract Operation Performed by aTraditional Shaman Surgeon in a Village to the Eastof Agra, Northern India, c. 2010 457Appendix 2: Stents and Tents 460Notes 462Further Reading 470Index 505
£12.59
SPCK Publishing Comets Cosmology and the Big Bang
Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of astronomy from the seventeenth century onwards, including the huge achievements of womenTrade Review"Allan Chapman writes with clarity and energy in a manner designed to both inform the general reader and stimulate thought. Engagingly written, and with great authority, he combines a manageable level of detail regarding this vast subject, with his own personal insights and experiences. His work enables the reader to both grapple with the complex historical 'big picture' of unfolding ideas over the centuries, while also appreciating the significant impact and discoveries of individual pioneers in the field. Allan is not afraid to offer challenging personal insights and raises important questions for the reader to consider. This is an engaging, detailed, informative and thought-provoking book." Martyn Whittock, historian, teacher, and writer"A fascinating narrative, full of delightful anecdotes, giving a very readable overview of astronomy and our understanding of the universe." Martin Grossel, Emeritus Fellow in Organic Chemistry at the University of Southampton"Allan Chapman is a polymath, celebrated for his superb lectures on astronomical history. This engrossing book contains an immense amount of recondite information. His lively writing retains the flavour of his lectures, and will enlighten, fascinate and entertain anyone interested in science and its social context." Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer RoyalTable of ContentsCOntentsAcknowledgments 18Preface 211 From the Beginning to 1700: The Origins of AstronomyThe origins of astronomy 26The earliest astronomers 27What made the “Greek experience” 29central to Western thought?Medieval consolidation 32Europe’s astronomical Renaissance 352 Cosmology Begins at Home: Captain Edmond Halley, 41FRS, RN, Astronomer, Geophysicist, and AdventurerThe schoolboy scientist 42Early adventures: St Helena, Danzig, and across 44Europe: the making of a physical scientistEdmond Halley, the father of meteorology 47and geophysicsLater adventures: Captain Halley RN takes 50HMS Paramore among the icebergsProfessor Halley and the Great Aurora Borealis 51of 1716Halley studies the nebulae and ponders 53cosmological vastness3 Could a Comet Have Caused Noah’s Flood?Changing views about comets, 1580–1720 57Dr Robert Hooke takes comets into the chemical 59laboratory in 1677Comets tamed at last: 1680–1705 61Noah’s Flood, the ancient earth, comets, 62and the saltiness of the seaEdmond Halley: the Astronomer Royal 64and the longitude, 1720–42Religion and politics, a merry life and a 69sudden death4 “Let there be more light.” How Telescope TechnologyBecame the Arbiter in Cosmological ResearchLong telescopes on tall poles 73All done with mirrors: the early reflecting telescope 77John Hadley and his Newtonian 79reflecting telescopeA golden guinea an inch: James Short turns the 81reflecting telescope into big businessJohn Dollond “perfects” the refracting telescope 84c. 1760“Every gentleman must have one!” 86Benjamin Martin, lecturer, and entrepreneur,makes scientific instruments fashionable5 The Rector and the Organist: Gravity, Star Clusters,and the Origins of the Milky WayThomas Wright of Durham and eighteenth-century 89speculative cosmologiesThe Revd John Michell: the Pleiades Cluster, “dark 91stars”, and gravitational “black holes” in 1783Charles Messier: comet hunter and nebula 93cataloguer of the Ancien Régime in ParisThe enterprising oboist: Herschel comes 94to EnglandHerschel the fashionable church organist 97and musical impresario of BathFrom organ pipes to telescopes, from acoustics 98to optics, and on to cosmologyBath, 13 March 1781: William Herschel 100discovers a “comet”6 William and Caroline Herschel Fathom the 104“Construction of the Heavens” from an EnglishCountry GardenWilliam Herschel’s telescope technology 106Observing with a Herschel telescope 107Stars, the Milky Way, and the “Construction of 109the Heavens” after 1784“Oh Herschel! Oh Herschel! Where do you fly? 112To sweep the cobwebs out of the sky”“Shining fluids”, glowing rings of light, star 113clusters, and gravity: the Herschelian universeObservatory House, 1784: an account by a 116visiting French savantSir William Herschel, Knight Guelph 118A Herschel telescope postscript 1197 Measuring the Heavens and the Earth in Eighteenth-Century EuropePart 1: In Pursuit of Venus: Astronomy’s First GreatInternational AdventureIn pursuit of the solar parallax 122Venus in transit, June 1761 125Venus transits the sun in 1769 129Le Gentil and the 1769 transit 133Practical observation, Venus, and the longitude 1348 Measuring the Heavens and the Earth in Eighteenth-Century EuropePart 2: Pendulums, Planets, and Gravity: Creatingthe Science of GeodesyThe curious behaviour of M. Richer’s clock: 140Cayenne, Brazil, 1672Geophysics by degrees and the shape of the earth 142The Astronomer Royal, the mountain, and 147the village fiddlerGeophysics goes to the laboratory: 149Henry Cavendish and the torsion balanceexperiment, 1797–989 Cosmology and the Romantic Age 152From daffodil fields to starry fields: a universe of 152awe and wonderLaws of wonder: Herschel, Laplace, 153and the laws of gravitationMysteries beyond the spectrum: 156Sir William Herschel discovers the “darkspectrum” in 1800Science for Georgian ladies and gentlemen 157The London physician, the Bavarian orphan, 160and the wonders of lightProfessor Bessel and the distance of the stars 163Caroline the comet hunter 16610 Sir John Herschel: The Universal Philosopher of 168the AgeJohn Frederick William Herschel: a genius 168in the makingJohn Herschel inherits the cosmological 170“family business”Optics, chemistry, photography, and a gift 172for friendshipSlough, marriage, then the Cape of 174Good HopeThe Herschel cosmos of 1850 178The size of the stars and their absolute brightness 180Sir 11 There Must Be Somebody Out There! 184A fascination with “aliens” 184The Revd Dr Thomas Dick of Broughty 186Ferry, DundeeNew York, August 1835, and the 188“Great Lunar Hoax”Jules Verne: from the earth to the moon in 1865 191Pity the poor Martians dying of thirst: 1877 193The Martians turn nasty 195So is there really anybody out there? 19612 Mary Somerville: Mathematician, Astronomer, and 198Gifted Science CommunicatorMiss Mary Fairfax, the independent-minded 198admiral’s daughterTwo contrasting husbands 200Continental travel and international 201mathematical fameMary Somerville, astronomy, and the Herschels 202Early mathematical and physical works 205Mary Somerville, the physical sciences expositor 206On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences, 208Physical Geography, and On Molecular andMicroscopic ScienceNatural laws, religion, and her final voyage 21113 Sir George Biddell Airy of Greenwich: Astronomer 212Royal to the British EmpireSir George Biddell Airy (1801–92): 213early life and achievementsNew instruments, chronometers, time, 217and the electric telegraphAiry the scientific civil servant 222Airy and the discovery of Neptune, 1846 223The Astronomer Royal and his staff 225John Herschel, the universal philosopher 18214 Barristers, Brewers, Peers, and Engineers: Paying for 228Astronomical Research: the British “Grand Amateur”TraditionFunding astronomy in Great Britain: 228the roots of a traditionThe Grand Amateur astronomical world 231The Liverpool brewer and the Manchester 234steam-engine builderThe Irish nobleman who discovered the 240“whirlpools” of deep spaceThe Royal Astronomical Society: 246a Grand Amateur creationPostscript: Grand Amateur astronomy today 24715 The Camera Does Not Lie: The Birth ofAstronomical PhotographyMonsieur Louis Daguerre, Sir John Herschel, 249and Mr William Henry Fox TalbotDr John William Draper of New York: 252the first astronomical photographerThe “miracle” of the “wet collodion” 253photograph, 1851Warren De La Rue: the Guernsey-born paper 255manufacturer and pioneer ofastronomical photographyThe first “custom-designed” photographic 258telescopeJames Nasmyth’s The Moon (1874): 260photographing the moon at second handThe “dry gelatin” plate and new possibilities 262Isaac Roberts: photographer of the galaxies 26216 Unweaving the RainbowPart 1: Sunlight, Sunspot Cycles, and MagneticStorms 266Understanding the Sun, Our Nearest Star 266The great solar storm of 1859 268“Rice grains”, “granules”, and the solar surface 270Solar knowledge by 1860: a résumé 27117 Unweaving the RainbowPart 2: Cosmologists and Catholic Priest Pioneersof AstrophysicsAn afternoon walk in Heidelberg in 1859 275Sir William and Lady Margaret Huggins discover 277gaseous nebulae from a south London gardenFather Angelo Secchi of Rome: 281the Jesuit pioneer of astrophysicsThe Stonyhurst College Jesuit Observatory 282The sun and the spectroscope 284Our American cousins and our Irish friends 28718 The Revd Thomas William Webb and the Birth 291of “Popular Astronomy”The Revd Mr Webb of Hardwicke, 291astronomer and popularizerCelestial Objects for Common Telescopes and 293Webb’s telescopesThe “modest” amateur astronomer and the 295new reflecting telescopeVictorian clergymen-astronomer-engineers 297Astronomical societies and The English Mechanic 300magazinePopular astronomy in France 303John Jones of Brangwyn Bach and other 303working-men astronomers19 “Ladies of the Night”: The Astronomical Womenin Great Britain and America 310Scientific education for women 310Professional astronomy for women in the 312“Old World”Agnes Mary Clerke of Skibbereen, 316the Irish historian of astronomyWomen in the new amateur astronomical 319societies after 1881Florence Taylor: from Leeds to Minnesota 320Elizabeth Brown, the sun, and the eclipse-chasers 322The first women Fellows of the Royal 325Astronomical Society20 Astronomy for the Masses in the Victorian Ageand Early Twentieth CenturyThe age of self-improvement: Sunday schools, 327Mechanics’ Institutes, and the Victorian“knowledge industry”Lord Henry Brougham: pioneer of popular 329educationAstronomy shows, demonstrations, 331and lecturesRichard Anthony Proctor and Sir Robert 337Stawell Ball: stars of the astronomicallecture circuitSir Arthur Stanley Eddington and 341Sir James Hopwood Jeans: astronomy’s first“Knights of the airwaves”21 Under New World Skies: The Great AmericanObservatoriesNorth America’s first big observatories 345The Harvard astrophysicists 348The ladies of the Harvard Observatory 348Alvan Clark and Sons, opticians of Boston, Massachusetts 350 American Liberal Arts Colleges and astronomy 352Percival Lowell, the “canals” of Mars, 353and Flagstaff, Arizona, in the westAmerica’s two giant refractors: the Lick and 355Yerkes ObservatoriesAmerica’s giant reflecting telescopes 358Conclusion 36022 On the Eve of the Watershed: Astronomy andCosmology c. 1890–1920The universe: a steady, stately place? 363The Michelson–Morley Experiment, 1887 364“Twinkle, twinkle, little star; now we know just 367what you are”: the birth, life, and death of starsThe Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram, 1910–13 371Henrietta Swan Leavitt and the “Cepheid” stars 373Harlow Shapley, the spiral galaxies, and the 375Milky WayThe Great Debate: Smithsonian Museum, 379Washington DC, 26 April 192023 It’s All Relative. The “Alice in Wonderland” World of 381Early Twentieth-Century PhysicsThe “physics quake” of the 1890s: X-rays, 382atoms, and radiationThe mighty atom 385Mercury, Vulcan, and the problems of gravity 387The patent clerk of Bern: Albert Einstein and 388relativitySir Arthur Stanley Eddington, Einstein, and the 392solar eclipse of 1919Albert Einstein the affable celebrity 394Postscript 39724 Crossing the Watershed: Edwin Hubble,the Celebrity Astronomer of the GalaxiesFrom small-town Missouri to self-created 398English gentlemanHubble, red shifts, and the “extra-galactic” universe 400Hubble’s Law and Constant 403The subsequent development of Hubble’s cosmos: 405Milton Humason, Walter Baade,and Allan SandageMilton Humason 406Walter Baade 407Allan Sandage 408Edwin Hubble and the stars of Hollywood 41025 The Belgian Priest–Cosmologist and the “Cosmic Egg” 412Father Georges Lemaître of Leuven 412Making sense of modern cosmology: 414the Royal Astronomical Society discussion meeting,Burlington House, Piccadilly, London,10 January 1930Father Lemaître and Sir Arthur Eddington 416“It’s all a ‘big bang’”: Sir Fred Hoyle and his 417steady state cosmology of 1948Return to the stars 420Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and the 422white dwarfsLemaître, Pope Pius XII, and the big bang 426Stephen Hawking and the black hole 42626 Sir Bernard Lovell and the “Radio Universe” 428Karl Jansky’s “merry-go-round” and the birth of 429radio astronomyThe “radio window” and how the radio telescope 431worksGrote Reber of Wheaton, Illinois: an amateur leads 433the way – yet again!Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell and 435Jodrell Bank, CheshireOther great radio telescopes 441The achievement of radio astronomy 443Sir Bernard Lovell: a recollection 44627 “Fly Me to the Moon”: The Birth of the Space Age 449Rockets into space 449The rocket men 451The first space flights 455Yuri Gagarin (1934–68), the first space man, 1961 457The Apollo missions 457Touchdown: the Sea of Tranquillity, 20 July 1969 459The Book of Genesis goes to the moon: 460Christmas 1968The end of manned missions 460The unmanned space probes 461The Hubble Space Telescope 463Exploring the surface of Mars 464Terra-forming Mars 46728 A Universe for the People: Sir Patrick Moore and the 468New Amateur AstronomyPopular astronomical fallacies 469Television and astronomy’s new popular audience 472Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore and 473The Sky at Night, 1957–2012Moonstruck: amateur astronomy and the moon 476after 1950Transient lunar phenomena, or “TLP”s 478Good telescopes for all 479The researches of modern amateur astronomers 481The post-1950 amateur astronomy movement 483Carl Edward Sagan and Cosmos, 1980 484Sir Patrick Moore: the man and the astronomer 48529 Postscript: Creation Revisited: Where Do We 489Stand Today?Life on other worlds and space travel, 490twenty-first-century styleCreation, cosmology, and the mind of God 493Appendix: The Cock Lane Ghost, or the 496“Ghost Catch”Notes 497List of In-text Illustrations 508Further Reading 513Index 545
£12.59
Running Press,U.S. On The Shoulders Of Giants
Book SynopsisWorld-renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking presents a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world with this first-ever compilation of seven classic works on physics and astronomy. His choice of landmark writings by some of the world''s great thinkers traces the brilliant evolution of modern science and shows how each figure built upon the genius of his predecessors. On the Shoulders of Giants includes, in their entirety, On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Mystery of the Cosmos, Harmony of the World, and Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler. It also includes five critical essays and a biography of each featured physicist, written by Hawking himself.
£22.50
Running Press,U.S. Light
Book SynopsisA stunning visual exploration of the power and behavior of light across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Light allows humans to see things around us, but we can only see a sliver of all the light in the universe, also known as the electromagnetic spectrum. Renowned science communicators Kim Arcand and Megan Watzke bring the entire spectrum to life and present the subject of light as never before. Organized along the order of the electromagnetic spectrum-from Radio waves to Gamma rays-each chapter focuses on a different type of light. From ultraviolet light, used in microscopy to image plant cells and bacteria, to X-rays, which let us peer inside the human body and view areas around black holes in deep space, Arcand and Watzke show us all the important ways light impacts us. With hundreds of stunning full-color photographs, including new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, Light is a joy to read and browse.
£17.09
Johns Hopkins University Press Bred for Perfection
Book SynopsisBred for Perfection provides the historical context in which this system arose, adding to our understanding of how domestication works and how our welfare-since the dawn of time-has been intertwined with the lives of animals.Trade ReviewIn this engaging and carefully researched book... Derry admirably exposes the foibles and eccentricities of pedigree breeders and discusses the many factors motivating their activities... It is a detailed study of obsession, of the conflict between pedigree and commercial concerns and the unspoken belief among breeders that line breeding animals and line breeding people amounted to much the same thing! Agricultural History Review Derry's study of animal breeding since 1800 makes a valuable contribution to the series and to the growing field of animal history. Journal of the History of Biology 2005 Derry details the intricacies of pedigree recording, which greatly influences breeding decisions, monetary values, and trade. Much of this book reviews the social factors that have impacted pedigreed breeding. Choice 2004 An excellent book. In showing how animal improvement served both economic and social purposes, Derry tells much about the nature of human beings. University of Toronto Quarterly Offers a succession of fascinating insights that will intrigue even historians with little previous interest in agriculture or sports... Essential reading for anyone interested in the human modification of nature. Technology and Culture 2005 This book... fills a substantial gap in scholarship. -- Paul White British Journal for the History of Science 2006Table of ContentsContents: 1. Developing a Modern Method of Purebred Breeding 2. Shorthorns and Animal Improvement 3. Producing Beautiful Dogs 4. Patterns in Collie Breeding and Culture 5. A World Market for Arabians Takes Shape 6. The Arabian Horse Registry of America: Preserving Purity
£38.70
University of Pittsburgh Press Making Entomologists
Book SynopsisPopular natural history periodicals in the nineteenth century had an incredible democratizing power. Making Entomologists reassesses the landscape of science participation in the nineteenth century, offering a more nuanced analysis of the supposed amateur-professional divide that resonates with the rise of citizen science today.
£54.36
Brigham Young University Press The Physics of The Healing
Book SynopsisPart of the encyclopedia of science and philosophy, The Healing, this first volume represents arguably the most brilliant mind of late antiquity grappling with and rethinking the entire tradition of natural philosophy inherited from the Greeks as well as the physical thought of Muslim speculative theologians.
£999.99
Royal Society of Chemistry Elegant Solutions
Book SynopsisDevising and performing a scientific experiment is an art, and it is common to hear scientists talk about the ''beauty'' of an experiment. What does this mean in chemistry, the experimental science par excellence? And what are the most beautiful chemical experiments of all time? This book offers ten suggestions for where beauty might reside in experimental chemistry. In some cases the beauty lies in the clarity of conception; sometimes it is a feature of the instrumental design. But for chemistry, there can also be a unique beauty in the way atoms are put together to make new molecules, substances not known in nature. The ten experiments described here offer a window into the way that chemists think and work, and how what they do affects the rest of science and the wider world. This book aims to stimulate the reader to think anew about some of the relationships and differences between science and art, and to challenge some of the common notions about particular ''famous experiments''. Elegant Solutions: Ten Beautiful Experiments in Chemistry is accessible to all readers, including those without a scientific background and can provide an unusual point of entry into some of the basic concepts of chemistry. Phillip Ball is a renowned, prolific, award winning science writer.Trade Review"...wonderful, compelling read...""...will be of interest to chemistrs and historians alike. This is a timely and very welcome achievement." * Ambix, Vol 54, No 1 March 2007, Pedro Cintas *This is a delightful (beautiful?) book that deserves a wide audience......The book contains ten chapters that do more than describe individual experiments; they put it in the context of contemporary thought and attitudes and the characters of the chemists themselves.It should be read by A-level students to put their learning in context and by undergraduates to examine the experimental process....an excellent addition to Phillip Ball's growing list of popular science titles. * Physical Sciences Educational Reviews, Volume 8, Issue 2, October 2007 (Roy Lowry) *This book is particularly strong in that it is readily accessible by a general readership. It provokes you to think about how aesthetic values are related to experimental virtues. * Joachim Schummer, *I highly recommend Ball's book, which makes much of chemistry. Accessible to the nonchemist. * Bulletin for the History of Chemistry, Vol 31, Number 1 (2006) (Leo B Slater) *One of Ball's objectives is to encourage us to think about what an experiment is and what role experiments play in the evolution of science.The whole book is full of vivid characters, pointed anecdote and insightful comment, and is a delight to read. It is accessible to any reasonably well-motivated non-chemist, and would make a fine present for such a person. * Chemistry & Industry, 15th May 2006 (Martyn Berry) *It is rare for a book on chemistry to involve such feelings of awe as this one does. Elegant Solutions is an absolute delight, completely fulfilling Armstrong's words about the chemist being full of feeling. Wherever you work in chemistry, this book will have something to help you, to set you thinking, and to make you proud of your professional calling. Make sure you get a copy. * Education in Chemistry, March 2006 (John Nicholson) *Table of ContentsIntroduction: What is an Experiment? What is Beauty?; Section 1: Asking Questions of Nature; Chapter 1: How Does Your Garden Grow?; Chapter 2: An Element Compounded; Chapter 3: New Light; Chapter 4: The Marvellous Glass Balloon; Chapter 5: The Elements Came in One By One; Divertissement 1: Chemistry as Theatre; Section 2: Posing New Questions; Chapter 6: Molecules Take Shape; Divertissement 2: Myths and Romances; Chapter 7: Life and How to Make It; Chapter 8: Not So Noble; Section 3: The Art of Making Things; Chapter 9: Nature Rebuilt; Chapter 10: Plato's Molecules; Divertissement 3: Chemical Aesthetics
£18.95
Floris Books Goethe on Science
Book SynopsisA systematic arrangement of extracts from Goethe's major scientific works which reveal how fundamentally different his approach was to scientific study of the natural world.
£14.24
Cambridge University Press Understanding Charles Darwin
Book SynopsisWhat did Darwin's work change about the world? Understanding Charles Darwin explodes five misconceptions about Darwin's work and theories, including how 'Darwinism' has been made to stand for things Darwin never stood for. Concise and accessible, this is the myth-busting look at the Darwin you never knew.Trade Review'Erik Peterson's book on Charles Darwin introduces us to Darwin the scientist, Darwin the family man, Darwin the silicone-rich member of British upper-middle-class society, at a time when the Empire was at its peak. Never before have I got to know Charles Darwin more intimately and fully; never before did I realize that such knowledge is absolutely vital to understand the revolution associated with Darwin's name. Highly recommended.' Michael Ruse, University of Guelph, Ontario, and Florida State University'Erik Peterson has given us a fresh, deeply informed, and engaging portrait of Darwin and his revolutionary scientific achievements. Peterson also succeeds admirably in placing Darwin in historical context, both within British society and among his gentlemanly scientific peers. At the same time, this eminently readable account dispels a series of myths and misunderstandings about Darwin's thinking and influence. Of special interest is Peterson's masterful account of Alfred Russel Wallace's independent discovery of the theory of natural selection, together with the various ways that Darwin and Wallace differed in their evolutionary thinking. Altogether, a captivating and richly informative read.' Frank J. Sulloway, University of California, Berkeley'This well-written volume unpacks a host of misunderstandings about Darwin. In attacking the pedestal that many twentieth-century biologists erected, Peterson provides a more balanced view of Darwin while also highlighting commonly overlooked contributions from others. The Captain of the Beagle, Robert FitzRoy, has been portrayed as a Bible-thumping creationist arguing against Darwin's revolutionary insight, but Peterson re-emphasizes how FitzRoy helped stimulate adaptive explanations. The ornithologist John Gould, if he is mentioned at all, is termed Darwin's bird identifier, but Peterson points out that it was Gould, not Darwin, who focused on the significance of the Galapagos beaks. And Peterson's own detailed research on the history of eugenics makes him the perfect foil for the myth that the Holocaust grew out of Darwin's theory. If you want to see Darwin, warts and all, this book takes you there.' Jim Bindon, The University of Alabama'In this delightful book, Erik Peterson explodes numerous fairytales about Darwin's life and influence. Amongst these is the fiction that Darwin was a solitary genius. Peterson's corrective is a story alive with numerous people, many of them now forgotten, who played diverse roles in making Darwin the man he was. Peterson's prose sparkles; it is conversational and engaging.' Elliott Sober, University of Wisconsin–Madison'This crisp account of Darwin, warts and all, shows him finding his distinctive voice among earlier evolutionists, including his grandfather Erasmus, standing his ground between friends who would pull him toward creationism and others who would push him toward atheism, and after his death recruited to this day for a host of dubious causes. Built on thorough knowledge of the extensive archival material and current scholarship, Understanding Charles Darwin will be an eye-opener for students and scholars alike.' David Depew, University of Iowa'What do we really know about Charles Darwin, the man? In this engaging account, Peterson uncovers the true story behind one of history's most iconic and mythologized scientists. Understanding Charles Darwin dismantles several misunderstandings lodged into our collective consciousness, resulting from what Peterson terms 'the Darwin industry.'' Iris Clever, University of ChicagoTable of ContentsIntroduction: The legends of charles darwin; 1. The evolutionary darwins, 1794–1835; 2. The truth about atolls; 3. London calling, 1836–1842; 4. Darwin-wallaceism; 5. '[T]his view of life, with its several powers'; 6. Saint Charles's place; 7. The struggle is real; Conclusion: The legend machine.
£14.99
Cambridge University Press Evolution for the People
Book SynopsisIn a compelling new study of popular evolutionism over two centuries, Peter Bowler uses the growing interest in popular science to reinterpret how evolutionary ideas have shaped modern culture. He demonstrates how Darwinism and its rivals sought public attention via mass media, and their resulting impact on popular consciousness.
£24.69
Taylor & Francis Ltd Computer
Book SynopsisComputer: A History of the Information Machine traces the history of the computer and its unlimited, information-processing potential.Comprehensive and accessibly written, this fully updated fourth edition adds new chapters on the globalization of information technology, the rise of social media, fake news, and the gig economy, and the regulatory frameworks being put in place to tame the ubiquitous computer. Computer is an insightful look at the pace of technological advancement and the seamless way computers are integrated into the modern world. The authors examine the history of the computer, including the first steps taken by Charles Babbage in the nineteenth century, and how wartime needs and the development of electronics led to the giant ENIAC, the first electronic computer. For a generation IBM dominated the computer industry. In the 1980s, the desktop PC liberated people from room-sized mainframe computers. Next, laptops and smartphones made computers available to half of the worldâs population, leading to the rise of Google and Facebook, and powerful apps that changed the way we work, consume, learn, and socialize.The volume is an essential resource for scholars and those studying computer history, technology history, and information and society, as well as a range of courses in the fields of computer science, communications, sociology, and management.Table of ContentsPart 1: BEFORE THE COMPUTER 1. When Computers Were People 2. The Mechanical Office 3. Babbage’s Dream Comes True Part 2: CREATING THE COMPUTER 4. Inventing the Computer 5. The Computer Becomes a Business Machine 6. The Maturing of the Mainframe: The Rise of IBM Part 3: INNOVATION AND EXPANSION 7. Real Time: Reaping the Whirlwind 8. Software 9. New Modes of Computing Part 4: GETTING PERSONAL 10. The Shaping of the Personal Computer 11. Broadening the Appeal 12. The Internet Part 5: THE UBIQUITOUS COMPUTER 13. Globalization 14. The Interactive Web: Clouds, Devices, and Culture 15. Computing and Governance
£33.99
Cambridge University Press Understanding Genes
Book SynopsisWhat are genes? What do genes do? These questions are not simple and straightforward to answer; at the same time, simplistic answers are quite prevalent and are taken for granted. This book aims to explain the origin of the gene concept, its various meanings both within and outside science, as well as to debunk the intuitive view of the existence of ''genes for'' characteristics and disease. Drawing on contemporary research in genetics and genomics, as well as on ideas from history of science, philosophy of science, psychology and science education, it explains what genes are and what they can and cannot do. By presenting complex concepts and research in a comprehensible and rigorous manner, it examines the potential impact of research in genetics and genomics and how important genes actually are for our lives. Understanding Genes is an accessible and engaging introduction to genes for any interested reader.Trade Review'This book was interesting. I appreciate that the preface ties in science fiction and how it compares to the reality of genetics as well as how the modern perceptions of genetics is not always the same as the scientific reality. It was well organized, the charts and images were well chosen and strategically placed so as to best support the text. I enjoyed how much of the history of genetics was woven through the book. The writing was quite good for a science text, the book is clear and not too heavy.' Jessica Fick, NetGalley Reader'In Understanding Genes author Kostas Kampourakis not only tackles the question of what a gene is (or isn't) but takes the reader through a historical journey through the discovery of genetics, emphasizing how science has to modify its models and explanations as more and more is discovered, whether proved or disproved. As a medical historian, I really enjoyed the historical journey, once again meeting the major players and learning something new.' Allyson Dyar, NetGalley Reader'Understanding Genes is an essential guide to this important, complex, and sometimes incendiary topic. In his clear and balanced discussion, Kostas Kampourakis cuts through all the hype and misconception that often surround the debate about what genes are and what they do, and provides the most honest and careful discussion I have seen of how DNA participates in the processes that support life. In doing so, he reveals the real promise, limitations, and dilemmas of the current age of genomics.' Philip Ball, science writer and author of How to Grow a Human'Did you know that two blue-eyed people can have a brown-eyed child? Why calico cats are (almost) always female? It's in the genes, but it's not all in the genes. Kampourakis shows that, while genes are unquestionably important, fears of 'designer babies' are both overblown and misguided. Genes alone do not make you who you are. They are not the ultimate essence of life. Understanding Genes is simply the best book out there for students or anyone wanting a smart, thoughtful introduction to what genes are and do – and what they aren't and don't.' Nathaniel Comfort,, Professor, Department of the History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University'Kampourakis has produced a comprehensive but highly readable introduction to genetics and genomics. His take on the fallacy of genetic fatalism is a must-read for both geneticists and the casual reader … The role of genetics and genomics in society is treated comprehensively by Kampourakis. He has produced a very readable book with an important message about genetic fatalism – it doesn't exist!' Professor Robert DeSalle, American Museum of Natural History, New York'… provides a plain, rich, and direct narrative of what a gene is and is not, with practical examples of how genes relate to our daily life … clearly identifies controversial views in [the] fields of genetics, genomics, cell and organismic biology, and clarifies them for the comprehension of the just initiated as well as the experienced reader.' Carlos Sonnenschein, MD, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, and Centre Cavailles, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France'Understanding Genes is a remarkably clear, rigorous, and yet accessible review of the biological and social roles of genes. Building on a wide range of sources including history, biology, philosophy, and social studies, the book identifies a variety of gene concepts currently in use, illustrates their significance through a wealth of concrete examples, and discusses the relations between these different ways of understanding genes. By deftly combining conceptual analysis with empirical evidence, the book succeeds in comprehensively introducing this complex subject without oversimplifying. It is highly recommended to readers venturing in this domain for the first time, as well as to experts wishing to expand their perspective.' Sabina Leonelli, University of Exeter, UK'Genes – many people use the word, few understand its many meanings and how they changed over time: from tools to think with, to tools to trace ancestors with. This book guides the reader through the many transformations of this concept from conception to misconceptions, from Mendel to the media. We learn about genetics, genomics, and post-genomics, but also about the interactions between scientific and public understandings and the role of metaphor in spicing things up. Readers come to realize that genes are neither essences, nor things, nor actors; genes only work in context, and in collaboration with each other within an interactive genome. This makes it difficult to find easy solutions to medical problems, but it also means that genes don't determine who we are. This book is more than a guide to understanding genes; it is essential reading for everyone interested in the role that genes play in science and culture.' Brigitte Nerlich, University of Nottingham, UK'In rigorous but uncomplicated prose, Kostas Kampourakis gives us a present we wish we could have received 100 years ago: a clear explanation of what genes do, what they do not do, what they are, and what they are not. In doing so, he teaches us salutary lessons in both the history and philosophy of science and in human psychology. At a time when our ability to manipulate nature is reaching new levels, Kampourakis provides a road map for understanding the relevance of genetics to our lives. This is a book everyone should read.' Oren Harman, Senior Research Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and Chair of the Graduate Program in Science, Technology and Society, Bar Ilan University, and author of The Man Who Invented the Chromosome, The Price of Altruism, and Evolutions: Fifteen Myths that Explain Our World'Understanding Genes is the first book that provides an honest, nuanced, and full accounting of how genes operate in an organism that is accessible to a general reader. I have not seen in one volume such clear analysis of the 'gene' and its deconstruction from a primary cause to a 'segment of DNA' that is a necessary, but not sufficient, cause of different types of biochemical events. The book exhibits the expertise of an author whose breadth of knowledge of genetics, history and philosophy of science, and science education makes this book exceptionally valuable as a scientific antidote to the tide of popular oversimplifications and the trend in the scientific literature of genetic reductionism.' Sheldon Krimsky, Lenore Stern Professor of Humanities & Social Sciences, and Adjunct Professor of Public Health & Community Medicine, Tufts University'If you are looking for a concise and up-to-date book on the role of genes (and the science of genes) in our society, look no further: Understanding Genes is an accessible, yet nuanced, account of how the concept of the gene has developed throughout history, how its cultural and social meanings have changed, and how genetic factors influence the expression of human behavior and diseases. It conveys not only the basics of genetic thinking, but also a sense for how our understanding of what genes are, and what they do, is always also a response to the big questions that society asks at any given time. I highly recommend this beautifully written book to students, journalists, researchers from other disciplines, and in fact anyone seeking to understand the role of genes – and of genetics – in our world.' Barbara Prainsack, University of Vienna, Austria'In Understanding Genes, Kostas Kampourakis draws on history and popular culture as well as the latest scientific research to help the beginning reader to grasp what genes are, why they are important, and how to give that importance its due without hype or hysteria. Anyone looking for an introduction to genetics that is both reliable and readable need look no further.' Gregory Radick, University of Leeds, UK'This excellent book is comprehensive, detailed, and amazingly informative, yet eminently readable; it's a really lovely synthesis of the past half-century of thought about what genes are, what genes do, and why they – along with their contexts – are so extremely important. Kampourakis presents biological facts with a 'systems' perspective that remains unwaveringly attentive to the fact that genetic information is always embedded in a context, a context that renders developmental outcomes unpredictable from DNA sequence information alone. By deploying wonderful new metaphors and unpacking older and potentially misleading metaphors, he helps readers avoid many of the misunderstandings that arise from various sources. Accurate and poised at the cutting edge, Understanding Genes is lucid enough to be accessible for the general public and students learning about genetics for the first time, but erudite enough for scientists interested in what we currently know about genes.' David S. Moore,'His approach is methodical, thorough, and buttressed by a number of illustrations and sidebars that help clarify some difficult concepts as he, for instance, explains how one gene has multiple effects; how any process or disease has multiple genes involved; how genes are part of an ecosystem of interrelated parts such as proteins, RNA, expression, the environment; how epigenetics has complicated our view of genes' constancy, etc. Kampourakis shows the ability to write clearly, especially so in his summaries toward the end of sections.' Bill Capossere, Fantasyliterature.com'This book provides a good current primer on the field and can serve as a starting point for educators in characterizing the misconceptions that students have and organizing content that addresses these issues.' John R. True, The Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of Contents1. The Public Image of Genes; 2. The Origin and Evolution of the Gene Concept; 3. The Devolution of the Gene Concept; 4. There are No 'Genes For' Characteristics or Disease; 5. What Genes 'Do'; 6. The Dethronement of Genes.
£13.94
