Great Scientists (Science Library) - Softcover

John Farndon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842369881 ISBN 13: 9781842369883

Publisher: Miles Kelly Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

In these 4 all-new titles-each with its own clip-art CD and wall chart-DK shines its Eyewitness spotlight on vital topics from the past, present, and future. While Mesopotamia explore the cradle of civilization and Great Scientists reveals the minds that shaped the modern world, China investigates the present-day culture of the most populous country on the planet, and Oil takes a look at the controversial substance responsible for the beginning-and, if we're not careful, the end of life as we know it today.

About this title

About the Author

John Farndon lives in London and is the author of over 200 books on a wide range of subjects, including the best-selling Harper Collins Children's Encyclopedia, the Dorling Kindersley Pocket Encyclopedia, How the Earth Works, The Wildlife Atlas, and many more. His specialty is science, and he has been short-listed three times for the Copus Junior Science book prize.

From Booklist

This title in the familiar, slightly revamped Eyewitness series introduces the work of pioneering scientists, beginning with Aristotle and ending with Stephen Hawking. Women aren't entirely ignored, although only two are among the 30 inclusions, with one or two more briefly identified elsewhere in the text. The design is busy, but never seems crowded. Each two-page spread features an introductory paragraph summarizing a scientist's contribution with a sentence or two of personal information, a time line, and a small picture of the individual. The remainder of the spread is a scattering of sharp photos, extensively captioned in very small type, that aim to establish the historical effect of the scientist's work. The information delivery is hit-and-miss, but Fortey opens the way to some interesting questions (what, for example, were the details of Richard Feynman's accusations against NASA after the 1986 Challenger explosion?). Unfortunately, there are no resources to help readers answer them. As far as piquing interest goes, however, the author's approach works well; it will even attract older readers. A slipcased poster and a CD of clip art are included. Zvirin, Stephanie

Edition details

• Publisher: Miles Kelly Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1842369881
• ISBN 13: 9781842369883
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40