From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-Each of these series entries profiles half a dozen key figures in the specific fields. The chapters open with an interest-grabbing experience from the subject's life, then shift to a chronological narrative from childhood on. Along with the biographical information, readers are given some of the scientific knowledge of the person's era, providing needed context. Early geologist James Hutton, for example, made assertions about the Earth's age that challenged not only the scientists of his day, but also religious beliefs, which were even harder to overcome. The chronological arrangement helps to give a sense of how individual fields progress over time, and how scientists benefit from the work of their predecessors. Each book covers a span of a couple of centuries, and concludes with a fairly modern example. The writing is lively enough to engage readers with an interest in the topic. The authors generally focus on the people's work and careers, yet they emerge as distinct individuals. While the featured geologists are all men, key female contributors to the field are noted in the introduction to Pioneers. Archeologists Gertrude Bell and Kathleen Kenyon, along with Howard Carter and Hiram Bingham, are profiled in Digging. Black-and-white photos, reproductions, and occasional maps appear in both volumes. In addition to the life stories, the titles offer useful perspectives on the challenges of scientific careers over the past two centuries.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. This offering in the Lives in Science series traces developments in archaeology through short but substantive biographies of a few of its leading scientists. Among them is Giovanni Belzoni, a circus strongman turned tomb raider and amateur Egyptologist, whose work embodies early ideas about the science, which was more about finding loot than recording history. The shift toward actually documenting cultures began with Howard Carter and Hiram Bingham, and was fully realized in the work of Mortimer Wheeler, an academic who started professional training schools in England and abroad to develop the next generation of archaeologists. Remaining chapters highlight Gertrude Bell and Kathleen Kenyon, as well as Kent R. Weeks, who discovered 65 tombs in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. A sprinkling of black-and-white photos and maps illustrates the text, which is, unfortunately, marred by a handful of typographical errors. A glossary, a selected bibliography, and a list of suggested readings complete the volume. Randy Meyer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
