Seeing Further
The Story of Science and the Royal Society
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3.2 • 64 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Bryson is as amusing as ever….As a celebration of 350 years of modern science, [Seeing Further] it is a worthy tribute.”
—The Economist
In Seeing Further, New York Times bestseller Bill Bryson takes readers on a guided tour through the great discoveries, feuds, and personalities of modern science. Already a major bestseller in the UK, Seeing Further tells the fascinating story of science and the Royal Society with Bill Bryson’s trademark wit and intelligence, and contributions from a host of well known scientists and science fiction writers, including Richard Dawkins, Neal Stephenson, James Gleick, and Margret Atwood. It is a delightful literary treat from the acclaimed author who previous explored the current state of scientific knowledge in his phenomenally popular book, A Short History of Nearly Everything.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything) presents a remarkable collection of essays celebrating the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Society of London and its many contributions to science. Society members have included such illustrious names as Darwin, Newton, Leibniz, and Francis Bacon, to name a few. The volume's 23 contributors are both uniformly excellent and remarkable for their diversity. For example, novelist Margaret Atwood writes a very personal piece about the image of the scientist and its sometime appearance as the "mad scientist." Science historian Paul Davies writes about the effects on Western society of the realization that we are not the center of the universe. Biologist Richard Dawkins opines about the revolutionary nature of Darwin's discoveries, and science fiction writer Gregory Benford contemplates the meaning of time. The wide array of scientific disciplines, including genetics, climate change, physics, and engineering, are each placed in a fresh and thought-provoking social and historical context. Bryson's name will bring readers in, but the real reward is fine writers writing about serious science in an accessible, good-natured style. It is a worthy celebration of the Royal Society. Color illus.
Customer Reviews
Pics
I was reading the preview and it does have pictures. And maybe I'm just a science nerd extraordinaire, but I'm really enjoying the stories 😊.
Seeing Further
Do not buy this book. Despite a description that says the book is "gorgeously illustrated with photos, documents, and treasures of the Royal Society" the iBook version has NONE of these.
Apple support responded promptly and provided a new download version but it also was lacking any illustrations.
The text of the book even refers to illustrations but none are present. Really annoying.
They now have refunded my money but have no explanation for the problem.
Seems to be fixed
I just downloaded a sample, which contains illustrations, so it appears that both problems the other reviewers mention are now fixed.