Science in History (Four Parts Published in a One-Volume Edition)

Ex-Public Library copy showing the usual treatments thereof. Else, Very Good in Very Good DJ: The Book shows light soilings and smudgings to the outside edges of the text block; a thin line of sun-blanching along the top edges of the black cloth over boards (the gilt titles at the backstrip are unaffected: bold and clearly legible) ; the binding remains square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. A carefully-used working copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing minor cosmetic imperfections. The DJ - which has been taped to the book - shows mild rubbing and some consequent soiling, mainly to the rear panel; just a hint of wear to the extremities; a short, closed tear at the bottom edge of the front panel; the price ($12.95) is intact; mylar-protected (the mylar protector shows some rubbing). Presentable and intact, but no longer crisp and attractive (though the removal of the mylar protector would help). NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8.8 x 5.8 x 2.25 inches) . Two plates with four figures (complete) , 15 text-figures, 5 maps, and 8 tables. Extensive Bibliography, Notes and Index. Language: English. Weight: 46.9 ounces. Hardback with DJ. John Desmond Bernal FRS (1901 1971) was an Irish scientist who pioneered the use of X-ray crystallography in molecular biology. He published extensively on the history of science. His 1929 work 'The World, the Flesh and the Devil' was hailed by Arthur C. Clarke as "the most brilliant attempt at scientific prediction ever made". It is famous for having been the first to propose the so-called 'Bernal sphere', a type of space habitat intended for permanent residence. The second chapter explores radical changes to human bodies and intelligence and the third discusses the impact of these on society. In The Social Function of Science (1939) he argued that science was not an individual pursuit of abstract knowledge and that the support of research and development should be dramatically increased. Eugene Garfield, originator of the Science Citation Index, said "his idea of a centralized reprint center was in my thoughts when I first proposed the as yet nonexistent SCI in Science in 1955." The present work, 'Science in History', first published in 1954, is a monumental four-part attempt to analyse the interaction between science and society and was was the first full attempt to analyse the reciprocal relations of science and society throughout history, from the perfection of the flint hand-axe to the hydrogen bomb. In this remarkable study he illustrates the impetus given to (and the limitations placed upon) discovery and invention by pastoral, agricultural, feudal, capitalist, and socialist systems, and conversely the ways in which science has altered economic, social, and political beliefs and practices. Science in History is encyclopaedic, yet manages to remain an individual and colourful account of the emergence of science from pre-historic times. There is detailed coverage of the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment, the Industrial Age and the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. . . The writing flows and is devoid of the tortured idioms that mar so many academic histories of science. After reading it, it is easy to agree with C. P. Snow's orotund observation that Bernal was the last man to truly know the whole of science. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; xxviii, 1039 pages.…