Major Achievements of Science: The Development of Science from Ancient Times to the Present

The Major Achievements of Science: The Development of Science from Ancient Times to the Present
by A. E. E. McKenzie

(Illus.; from the History of Science and Technology Reprint series)
Iowa State University Press
1988
xvii+575pp.
0-8138-0092-7 (paper)
Index
C, T, GA **

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This is a reprint of the 1960 edition that has not been updated, so the discussion of 20th century science essentially ends at the mid-century mark. At the time of its publication this book was recognized as an excellent historical overview (with key documents in the appendix) of the natural sciences from the 17th century to the 1950s. After a brief introduction to ancient and medieval science, the author devotes a series of chapters to great moments in the development of natural sciences. The material is arranged chronologically by specialty. Brief biographies are provided of key innovators, usually with some anecdotal data about their personalities. Their importance is discussed, and the names of others who contributed to the innovations are often mentioned. Overall, this book is written for the general reader who is not an expert in science but who wants a lucid and compact overview of modern science.

--Reviewed by Vern L. Bullough in Science Books and Films, 24/4 (March/April 1989), p232-3.