Eyewitness to Science: Scientists and Writers Illuminate Natural Phenomena from Fossils to Fractals

By: John Carey

Book Overview

Using essays, arguments and investigations by scientists such as Darwin, Huxley and Fabre, this text plots the development of modern science from Leonardo da Vinci to the chaos theory. It explores areas as diverse as da Vinci's observations of nocturnal birds to Asimov's explication of black holes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067428755X
• ISBN13: 9780674287556
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Delightful anthology of science writing

John Carey's Eyewitness to Science is identical to The Faber Book of Science except for the cover and weight of the paper stock used. Since the latter is now out of print, those of you who have missed the opportunity to read this delightfully eclectic anthology of science writing may wish to consult this edition before it, too, goes out of print.

A choppy book about great connections in the web of nature

As a geologist, I read the samples that seemed relevant first, and found many surprising and wonderful things like Huxley's geology of Europe derived partly from careful observations of a piece of chalk. I went on to read biology, physics, poetry and abnormal sex. I am teaching a freshman literature class this winter quarter and managed to lighten up Conrad's gloomy brooding view that we evolved from soulless animals by reading Cumming's (Pg 262) retort; "As for me, I am proud of my close kinship with other animals. I take jealous pride in my Simian ancestry. I like to think that I was once a magnificent hairy fellow living in the trees and that my frame has come down through geological time via sea jelly and worms and Amphioxus, Fish, Dinosaurs, and Apes. Who would exchange these for the pallid couple in the Garden of Eden?"