Reader's Guide to the History of Science - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 188496429X ISBN 13: 9781884964299

Publisher: Routledge, 2000

Synopsis

The Reader's Guide to the History of Science looks at the literature of science in some 550 entries on individuals (Einstein), institutions and disciplines (Mathematics), general themes (Romantic Science) and central concepts (Paradigm and Fact). The history of science is construed widely to include the history of medicine and technology as is reflected in the range of disciplines from which the international team of 200 contributors are drawn.

About this title

About the Author

Arne Hessenbruch

Reviews

This volume contains about 600 entries on various aspects of the history of science, including individuals (e.g., Galileo), disciplines (e.g., astronomy), and broad topics (e.g., religion). Written by an outstanding group of over 200 international scholars, the entries focus on secondary sources and are geared to the nonspecialist. Each entry provides a short bibliography followed by a short essay on the topic, discussing the various merits of the titles listed. In 1952, George Sarton, the "father" of the study of the history of science, prepared a detailed bibliography, A Guide to the History of Science (Chronica Botanica). Many others have followed, including the nonannotated ISIS bibliographies (published by the History of Science Society), but almost all of these are highly technical in nature. In addition to this work, academic libraries should look at Helaine Selin's The Encyclopedia of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures (Kluwer, 1997) as a counterbalance to the Reader's Guide's more Western orientation. This current volume is not only an excellent resource for public and academic libraries but a very good deal for the price. Highly recommended. Eric D. Albright, Duke Medical Ctr. Lib., Durham, NC
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This impressive source is an extensive bibliography of the secondary literature of the history of science, technology, and medicine. You will not find references to Newton's Principia. Instead, you will find citations for and discussions of more than 30 examples of scholarly literature on Newton, including a collection of some of Newton's hitherto-unpublished papers; The Newton Handbook, a bio-bibliographical dictionary; and an exhaustive bibliography of Newtonian works published between 1672 and 1975. The entries are a series of bibliographic essays on 500 topics, including people (Bacon, Francis; Boas, Franz; Bohr, Niels), subjects (Chaos theory, Clocks, Literature and science, Tuberculosis), and disciplines and institutions (Molecular biology, Smithsonian Institution). Each entry presents a bibliography, followed by an essay describing and evaluating the sources that are cited. The bibliographies are more focused on books than journals. However, some important journal articles are included. Entries are in alphabetical order, with a thematic list in the front of the book and a list of books cited in the back. There is also a good general index, as well as cross-references to other topics at the end of each signed entry. Also included is a bio-bibliography for each contributor to this scholarly source.

The essays point out the time covered and indicate the first time a citation is discussed by capitalizing the author's name. The coverage reflects the growing maturity of the history of science, with entries for new topics like Ethnomathematics and Human Genome Project. The high level of writing will be most useful to upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and professors learning or teaching about topics not specifically in their disciplines.

This title complements other history of science reference books, such as History of Science in the United States (Routledge, 2000) and Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution: From Copernicus to Newton [RBB D 1 00]. Recommended for collections of the study of the history of science. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 188496429X
• ISBN 13: 9781884964299
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 964
• Editor: Hessenbruch Arne