History of Modern Science and Mathematics

Library Journal

Written for high school and undergraduate students, this slim four-volume set attempts to synthesize the history of scientific developments in anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology, and the earth sciences. The most recent encyclopedias on the subject are either limited to a specific time period (e.g., Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution: From Copernicus to Newton) or geographic region (e.g., The History of Science in the United States). This work ranges from the 17th century to the present without trying to include the most recent developments. The contributors are primarily historians, many of whom, including editor Baigrie, are from the Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. The well-written articles are about 20 to 30 pages long and are supplemented with definitions in the margins, sidebars providing additional information, and 270 black-and-white illustrations. Each article concludes with a short bibliography of suggested readings, mostly books. There is also a 25-page year-by-year chronology and detailed name and subject indexes. This set provides a nice overview for those with a basic knowledge of science but given its small size can provide only the highlights. Nevertheless, it is a useful and interesting resource for high school, public, and college libraries.-Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville

From The Critics

This four-volume reference is appropriate for high school students and above. Information is arranged alphabetically by topic, and the first volume also includes topical and overview essays. The articles reflect historical scholarship; the scientific content engages those areas that are no longer changing and thus represent historical objects of study. Most entries start with the 17th century, following some preliminary discussion of the roots of the various achievements in antiquity and the Middle Ages. Since they vary in difficulty, the entries that require pre-existing knowledge include cross-references and definitions in the margins. A cross-disciplinary chronology and b&w photographs and drawings are included. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR