A Little History of Science by William Bynum | 9780300197136 | Paperback

Science is fantastic. It tells us about the infinite reaches of space, the tiniest living organism, the human body, the history of Earth. People have always been doing science because they have always wanted to make sense of the world and harness its power. From ancient Greek philosophers through Einstein and Watson and Crick to the computer-assisted scientists of today, men and women have wondered, examined, experimented, calculated, and sometimes made discoveries so earthshaking that people understood the world—or themselves—in an entirely new way.

This inviting book tells a great adventure story: the history of science. It takes readers to the stars through the telescope, as the sun replaces the earth at the center of our universe. It delves beneath the surface of the planet, charts the evolution of chemistry's periodic table, introduces the physics that explain electricity, gravity, and the structure of atoms. It recounts the scientific quest that revealed the DNA molecule and opened unimagined new vistas for exploration.

Emphasizing surprising and personal stories of scientists both famous and unsung, A Little History of Science traces the march of science through the centuries. The book opens a window on the exciting and unpredictable nature of scientific activity and describes the uproar that may ensue when scientific findings challenge established ideas. With delightful illustrations and a warm, accessible style, this is a volume for young and old to treasure together.

Booklist

“A super-accessible introduction to science.”—Booklist

David Bellamy

'Well done Bill Bynum, a master of the scientific ordinance from the Big Bang to the Digital Age.'—David Bellamy

Carl Zimmer

'Science is not a dry recitation of data; it's thousands of years of questions that people have posed about the universe. In A Little History of Science, William Bynum ably distills this human saga into a delightfully clear tale. It may be little, but it manages to find room for galaxies, computers, chemistry, evolution and much more.'—Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of Viruses

Bernard Wood

"Small, but perfectly formed. In this little history, Bill Bynum has done a splendid job of weaving all the material into a narrative that is easy to understand. You will not find a better summary of the history of science."—Bernard Wood, author of Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction

PopMatters

“A wonderful book to keep on the shelf and revisit over time.”—PopMatters

Christopher Potter

'I wish there had been such a book when I was a child. Bill Bynum's Little History of Science may be short but it tells a grand story: all of science lightly placed in ever-changing historical and philosophical contexts, but presented in a single arc from Empedocles to Tim Berners-Lee, Galen to Thomas Hunt Morgan, alchemy to insulin, the steam engine to the particle accelerator. It is a book I will be recommending for many years to come.'—Christopher Potter, author of You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe

New Scientist - Andrew Robinson

"Beginning with the Babylonians and ending with the World Wide Web, Bynum manages to squeeze in nearly every essential scientific idea and discovery while also discussing most major disciplines… I happily confess I learned a lot."—Andrew Robinson, New Scientist

The Wall Street Journal - Alan Hirshfeld

"One advantage of a brief history is that this impressive roll of modern achievements unfolds while the leaps of prior centuries are still fresh in mind. That juxtaposition of what we know now verses what we knew then is breathtaking to contemplate. In Mr Bynum’s telling, a little history goes a long way."—Alan Hirshfeld, The Wall Street Journal

The Guardian - Steven Poole

“Yale’s youngster-friendly Little History series continues with science from Babylonian astronomy to the Higgs boson particle in a series of lucid short chapters on telescopes, gases, engines, plantetary orbits, cells, magnetism, pneumatic chemistry, continental drift, and so forth . . . [Bynum] takes a sly pleasure in pointing out that famous scientists have been deeply religious, and shows a gentle, tolerant humour throughout.”—Steven Poole, The Guardian

BBC Focus - Dallas Campbell

"This is a thoughtful, elegantly presented volume with the younger reader in mind, although it’s an inspiring reminder to anyone of our extraordinary journey from ignorance to knowledge… Each chapter is headed with a beautifully simple, monochrome block-print style illustration that encapsulates its themes."—Dallas Campbell, BBC Focus

Good Reading

"This interesting book traces the history of science in easy-to-consume bites, from the earliest recorded anatomical, mathematical and medical theories through to the most up-to-date references to the Higgs boson and the latest hypothesis on string theory. They’re all made readable for the inquisitive non-scientists among us." Good Reading.

Daily Mail - John Harding

“A Little History of Science is an entertaining read that will provide a good grounding in the subject for older children.”—John Harding, Daily Mail

Good Book Guide

“The book is delightfully illustrated and is written in an engaging style. . .It would make a great present for those turned off by double physics, or an entertaining read for the boffin.”—The Good Book Guide

Irish Times - Tom Moriarty

“Bynum’s history of science is simple, lucid and accessible. There isn’t a single difficult sentence. Reading it could foster an enthusiasm for scientific endeavour in a young reader. . .There is an underlying theme in this gentle treatise: the need for scientists to persevere, to co-operate, to believe in the common good and to see further, in Isaac Newton’s words, by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’.”—Tom Moriarty, Irish Times

Publishers Weekly

The history of science parallels the history of mankind, and Bynum, professor emeritus in the history of medicine at University College London, captures the high points in this engaging chronology of our search to understand ourselves and the universe in which we live. He begins in the usual place, with early humans learning to write, which aided them with a subsequent development: keeping track of the movement of stars and planets in the night sky. Contributions from China—paper, gunpowder, and the compass—combined with math and medicine from India set the stage for Greek innovation, especially that of Aristotle, whose powerful views dominated science for centuries. Bynum covers alchemists like Paracelsus, the anatomists Vesalius and Harvey, and Islamic scholars like Avicenna before moving on to the notable figures of the Western scientific revolution: experimentalists Galileo, Francis Bacon, and Copernicus with his controversial heliocentric theory. Early fossil hunters Mary Anning and Georges Cuvier receive attention, as do “game changers” Newton, Darwin, anthropologists Mary and Louis Leaky, and Einstein. Bynum’s medical background enriches his discussion of contemporary advances in medicine and genetics; additionally, with no math and minimal jargon, his entertaining history is more than suitable for curious teen and adult readers. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"Bynum's lively narrative . . . certainly delivers on his opening line: 'Science is special.'" —-Kirkus Starred Review

Kirkus Reviews

A brief but panoramic account of science from Hippocrates to Crick. Bynum (History of Medicine Emeritus/University College London; The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction, 2008, etc.) begins with ancient priests, who surveyed land and measured distances to learn about the world, and concludes with modern scientists attempting to explain the Big Bang and the human genome. Stressing that "at any moment of history, the science has been a product of that particular moment," the author devotes each essaylike chapter to the achievements of a different significant period. In the ancient world, Aristotle tried to make scientific sense of things, and Galen, doctor to the gladiators, diagnosed disease by feeling his patients' pulses. In the 19th century, British fossil hunters Mary Anning and Gideon Mantell revealed a prehistoric world, and Michael Faraday experimented endlessly with electricity and magnetism. In modern times, scientists have discovered penicillin and other wonder drugs and have counted human genes by using DNA sequencing. In each instance, Bynum offers bright, accessible descriptions of the scientists (the cranky Newton, the contrary Galileo) and the underlying science that earned them a place in this chronology. The author's conversational style makes his readable history all the more engaging and disguises his considerable scholarly authority. One of the book's pleasures is to realize the astonishment with which people greeted many of these moments, including the first dissection of human bodies, the introduction of X-rays and Einstein's thinking about the universe. Nonscientists especially will applaud Bynum's lively narrative, which certainly delivers on his opening line: "Science is special."

A Little History of Science

Paperback

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