Reader's guide to the history of science /

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Bibliographic Details
Imprint:London ; Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2000.
Description:xxix, 934 pages ; 28 cm
Language:English
Subject:Science -- History -- Encyclopedias.
Science.
Encyclopedias.
History.
Encyclopedias.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/6284354
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:History of science
Other authors / contributors:Hessenbruch, Arne.
ISBN:188496429X
9781884964299
Language / Script:Current Copyright Fee: GBP34.00 0.
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:"A readers' advisory to the best books on the history of science. Written by 200 international scholars, the 600 comparative essays begin with a bibliography of important works, followed by reviews of those sources in the body of the entry. Important concepts and processes, phenomena, and scientists as well as scientific developments in different countries are covered."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2002.
Review by Choice Review

A subject encyclopedia with some 500 entries, this guide is intended for students, teachers, or readers seeking advice about what to read. The entries, in essay form, cover individual scientists, scientific disciplines, and themes such as "expeditions" or "scientific illustration." Each entry, written by an expert, focuses on the most important monographs for the topic, beginning with a list of books the author considers important, followed by an introduction to the topic, background information, and its context within the history of science. Descriptions of books are woven into the essays, with annotations about their usefulness and content. The quality of essays and evaluations varies: some authors are quite analytical, others more descriptive. The principal bibliography of the history of science, ISIS Cumulative Bibliography (6v., 1971-84) and its supplements, is very comprehensive but lacks annotations; Hessenbruch is more selective and provides comparative descriptions. Well indexed and cross-referenced, this work has no equivalent. It could serve as a model for guides to other areas of history. For all libraries. T. McKimmie New Mexico State University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review

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.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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