Galileo's Commandment: An Anthology of Great Science Writing [Hardcover]

Edmund Blair Bolles (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997 | ISBN-10: 0716730359 | ISBN-13: 978-0716730354 | Edition: 1

Chemist and physicist Marie Curie reminisces about her and her husband's efforts to isolate the element radium. Greek historian Herodotus observes the Nile Valley and concludes that it was once under water. Astronomer and author Carl Sagan argues against assertions that aliens regularly visit Earth. These are among the literary gems Edmund Blair Bolles includes in Galileo's Commandment: An Anthology of Great Science Writing. Bolles has scoured the literature of science to build a treasury that is accessible and riveting, and therefore appealing to readers unfamiliar with science, yet erudite enough for the scientifically initiated reader to enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Science only knows one commandment: contribute to science." This line, spoken by the title character in Bertolt Brecht's The Life of Galileo, inspired the title of this collection of science writing by 59 diverse authors. Most of the pieces collected by editor Edmund Blair Bolles are excerpted from texts by working scientists or natural philosophers, including George Smoot of NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer to Lucretius. Marie Curie's joy on seeing the lovely, glowing bottles of impure radium in her workroom at night is just one of the vivid images to be extracted from this volume, though with far less effort than the radium cost the Curies.

From School Library Journal

YA?Science is a way of thinking as much as it is a body of knowledge. Bolles provides potent evidence of great thinking as he chronicles the cumulative process of doing science in this sampler of excellent historical and contemporary writings. This book is not so much about the current understanding of scientific principles (although there is certainly ample material included) but rather the thought and reflections of individuals who have struggled throughout human history to tease out, bit by bit, the fundamental linkages of our world and universe. It is the author's contention that "science writing can be great writing in the same sense as other genres" and this book proves his point. The selected writings include pieces by Herodotus, Galileo, Kepler, Voltaire, Piaget, Newton, and Darwin, as well as by Asimov, Gould, Sagan, and Feynman. Because of the underlining order to the sequence of selections, the book can be read all the way through as an "accessible and appealing" journey through the history of science. It can also be read randomly without losing an appreciation of the writing. Great primary-source material for students researching specific scientists.?Dennis McFaden, Fairfax County Public Schools,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 485 pages
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co; 1 edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716730359
• ISBN-13: 978-0716730354
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #532,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great anthology of science writing, August 26, 2000

By 

Kevin W. Parker (Greenbelt, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Galileo's Commandment: 2,500 Years of Great Science Writing (Paperback)

In his play about Galileo, Bertolt Brecht has him say: "Science knows only one commandment: contribute to science." And those who write about science contribute as much as those who do it-and perhaps more, since a discovery not written up is a discovery that might as well not have occurred.

This is a collection of articles and excerpts representing an overview of science writing, from Herodotus speculating on Egyptian geology to George Smoot analyzing the results from COBE. Some of the writers are primarily popularizers (Isaac Asimov, Rachel Carson, Walter Sullivan) and some are scientists who made an especial effort to write for the public (Arthur S. Eddington, Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan), but some of the pieces are by and for scientists, just sufficiently accessible to be included here (as with the articles by Darwin, Wallace, Kepler, and Helmholtz). The pieces run the gamut of the sciences-astronomy, biology, geology, physics-and a gamut of issues relating to the sciences, from the process of discovery (Mach talking about the human sense of position) to philosophy (Bacon and Popper) to observational notes (Darwin on Galapagos finches and Galileo on his first look through a telescope). There are breathtaking excerpts from the moment when a new science is born: Alfred Russel Wallace realizing the concept of natural selection, Lavoisier explaining the new organization of substances he has discovered (and thereby setting the foundations of modern chemistry).

While reading, I somehow found less interesting than I thought I would, but my problem may be that I have a strong background in the history of science and have been exposed to much of this before. That being said, I am finding that this book is sticking with me in ways that few books do. I continue to think about the articles and recall them.

So for anyone who is interested in science or the history of science, who wants to experience science being made, or who just appreciates good, strong writing, this book is highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent anthology of science writers, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Galileo's Commandment: An Anthology of Great Science Writing (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book! I really enjoyed all the essays by different scientists. It was good to see so many scientists writing clear essays for the "general reader" describing recent advances in their field. The earliest was from Herodotus (444 B.C.), but by far most of the essays were from scientists writing in the 1900's. I have a much better feel and appreciation for the breadth of science after reading this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I use to hate science... but now..., March 21, 2000

By 

"volcom247" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Galileo's Commandment: 2,500 Years of Great Science Writing (Paperback)

I now have a new appreciation for Science all because of this book! Reading this was very touching and helped me understand why science is so important to our lives. They even got essay's done by some scientist you have never heard about that are totally irrelevant to what you hear everyday at school, at work, or just walking around. My favorite writings were of Course Galileo's beatiful description of the stars and Jupiter. GREAT BOOK! BUY IT NOW!