The Science Book

Hardcover - 544 pages (8 May, 2003)
Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated; ISBN: 0297843370

I merely wrote the foreword, so I can't take any of
the credit for this amazingly  illustrated book that
covers the 250 most important moments in science.

Here are some reviews.

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Science Book is a big, handsome, lavishly illustrated coffee-table book. In 250 brief sections, it attempts to encapsulate the history of Western science, from astronomy and physics to geology, biology and psychology and everything in between. It's a huge undertaking, even a potentially foolhardy one, as the editor Peter Tallack acknowledges, but the choice of topics has been carefully made, and as an introduction to the breadth of scientific endeavour it succeeds well. The writing itself is straightforward, giving very brief biographies of scientists from Pythagoras to Stephen Hawking alongside the broad outlines of their work. Each one-page essay is accompanied by a full-colour illustration, ranging from Renaissance paintings to the latest images from space. Cross-references to other pages help to establish links between different discoveries. There is an index, but sadly no suggestions for further reading for anybody whose curiosity has been piqued. And piqued it almost certainly will be. Inevitably in a book of this scope, nothing is covered in any depth. It does, however, give a good overview of how science is done, how different disciplines interrelate and where the cutting edge is right now. And its presence on the coffee table will no doubt spark all kinds of discussions as guests leaf through its pages. --Elizabeth Sourbut

Anjana Ahuja, Book Reviews, The Times, 20 October 2001
Grand publishing gesture... Stylish and intellectual... Clearly written and lavishly illustrated... Illuminating and varied bite-sized accounts.

Oxford Times, 23 Nov 2001
I was pleasantly surprised by this massive, encyclopaedic but amenable summary of scientific discoveries. As well as being an education, it is delightful to dip into, made especially inviting by its attractive colour plates.

Physics Word, Dec 2001
A large, beautifully presented book, boxed and of a suitable size to be displayed on any sufficiently capacious coffee table. Interspersed among the "milestones" are eight longer essays by notable scientists and science writers ... I found to be little gems.

Focus, Oct 2001
When embroiled in arguments about scientific matters this is the book to have on standby. If, on the other hand, you and your friends have better things to talk about, buy it anyway - it's fascinating to dip into.

New Scientist 24 Nov 2001
Everyone will find something that they didn't know and much that is fascinating. In the end they'll have a better grasp of science and how we got to where we are now.

Sainsbury's Magazine 1 Oct 2001
For those with enough self-knowledge not even to attempt A Brief History of Time, and a wish to be spoon-fed easily digestible morsels of scientific knowledge, this book is just the ticket.

Book Description
THE SCIENCE BOOK is the first truly accessible, lavishly illustrated account of the story of science. Featuring 250 of the most significant milestones in the history scientific discovery, it offers a unique and sweeping perspective on our unfolding view of the universe. It provides a deeper appreciation of how scientific thinking has transformed not only our everyday lives, but also our very sense of who we are, how the world came to be, and our ultimate origin and fate.

Chronologically organized, authoritatively written and fully cross-referenced, the book is an elegant, informative and visually stunning celebration of the remarkable achievements of science across the centuries, be they in biology, physics, astronomy, cosmology, evolution, geology, medicine or mathematics. Each entry is presented over two large-format pages, with lucid text and a striking image for each event, idea or finding. And interspersed throughout the book are longer pieces in which eight of the world's leading science popularisers discuss particular intellectual accomplishments that stand out above all others.

From the humble concept of 'zero' to the proof of Fermat's last theorem, the notion of the Sun-centred universe to man's first steps on the Moon, the discovery of cells to Dolly the cloned sheep, THE SCIENCE BOOK captures the fascination and wonder of science while illuminating what it is and how it works. And when scarcely a day goes by without a new scientific breakthrough, it offers an ideal chance to catch up with what we know so far and what remains to be discovered.

Synopsis
The public's appetite for science has grown dramatically over the past 15 years but such is the speed and frequency of new scientific discoveries that many readers feel daunted. This title aims to change all that. It features 250 of the most significant milestones in the history of scientific discovery and presents them in rough short lucid essays by some of the most important and well known contemporary scientists and science writers. Each is accompanied by a single striking image and together they offer a unique introduction to our unfolding view of the universe.

From the Publisher
Starting with the origins of counting around 35,000 BC and ending with the deciphering of the human genome in AD 2000, THE SCIENCE BOOK traces the story of the achievements that have changed the course not only of science itself but also of whole areas of human thought. It covers the traditional natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and earth sciences), as well as psychology, archaeology, palaeonathropology, medicine and mathematics. Technology features only when it has led directly to scientific advances, as with the telescope, the microscope or the computer.

Although the book acknowledges the early philosophers whose investigations heralded the dawn of scientific thought, the selection tends to favour discoveries, theories or methods that solved a long-standing problem, opened up entire new areas of enquiry or changed our view of the world. Some were initially misunderstood but later accepted (such as the theory of continental drift). And a handful have been chosen that had a profound impact on a particular area of science even though they eventually turned out to be wrong (such as Freud's ideas about the mind).

This provisional nature of scientific knowledge is especially clear in the modern selections. Around nine-tenths of all scientists who have ever lived are alive and working now. While it is relatively easy to access with hindsight the achievements of previous generations, it is often hard to compare the significance of recent contributions and to know whether they will stand the test of time -- but at the very least they do convey the breadth and diversity of current science, and hint at discoveries yet to come.

Although science does not develop in a linear way, the chronological structure of the book provides a unique insight into the general trends and influences across the centuries, as well as the cross-fertilization of ideas among different branches of science. Just as the beginning of the twentieth century saw a revolution in physics, so now molecular biology is transforming our understanding of the living world. But science is more than a series of facts. The book also explores the fruitful mix of imagination, creativity, competition, muddle, intuition, ingenuity and mistakes that characterizes science as a very human activity.

In celebrating the fascination and wonder of science, THE SCIENCE BOOK by necessity omits many important scientists and scientific milestones. A selection such as this is inevitably subjective -- if not 'foolhardy', to use the words of one eminent physicist who advised on the project. Even science can be a matter of taste.