The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science

by Robert K. Merton, Elinor G. Barber, Elinor Barber

Book Overview

From the names of cruise lines and bookstores to an Australian ranch and a nudist camp outside of Atlanta, the word serendipity--that happy blend of wisdom and luck by which something is discovered not quite by accident--is today ubiquitous. This book traces the word's eventful history from its 1754 coinage into the twentieth century--chronicling along the way much of what we now call the natural and social sciences.

The book charts...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691126305
• ISBN13: 9780691126302
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"