The History of Science and Technology: A Browser's Guide to the Great Discoveries, Inventions, and the People Who MadeThem from the Dawn of Time to Today [Hardcover]

Bryan Bunch (Editor), Alexander Hellemans (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0618221239 | ISBN-13: 978-0618221233 | Publication Date: April 16, 2004 | Edition: First Edition

In this age of genetic engineering and global warming, it is more important than ever to understand the history and current trends of science and technology. With so much information out there, though, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s where The History of Science and Technology — the most comprehensive and up-to-date chronology of its kind -- comes in. From the first stone tools to the first robot surgery, this easy-to-read, handy reference book offers more than seven thousand concise entries organized within ten major historical periods and categorized by subject, such as archaeology, biology, computers, food and agriculture, medicine and health, materials, and transportation. You can follow the world’s scientific and technological feats forward or backward, year by year, and subject by subject. Under 8400 BCE Construction, you will discover that the oldest known wall was built in Jericho. Jump to 1454 Communication and you will learn about Johann Gutenberg’s invention of movable type. Take an even larger leap to 2002 Computers and find out about the invention of the Earth Simulator, a Japanese supercomputer.

The History of Science and Technology answers all the what, when, why, and how questions about our world’s greatest discoveries and inventions: How are bridges built? When were bifocal eyeglasses invented and by whom? What medical discovery led to the introduction of sterilization, vaccines, and antibiotics? What is the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) process, and why is it one of the pillars of the biotechnology revolution? Not only can you discover how our world came to be and how it works, but with cross-referenced entries you can also trace many intricate and exciting connections across time.

Highly browsable yet richly detailed, expertly researched and indexed, The History of Science and Technology is the perfect desktop reference for both the science novice and the technologically advanced reader alike.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Based on the authors' The Timetables of Science(1988; o.p.) and The Timetables of Technology(1993, both S & S),this hefty volume is divided into 10 periods, each beginning with an overview of major advances, many of which caused controversy in political, social, and religious arenas. The introductions are followed by yearly chronicles of specific accomplishments ranging from the time when hominoids used pebble tools through 2003. In all there are more than 7000 brief entries under such broad headings as "Tools," "Construction," "Astronomy," "Food & Agriculture," "Physics," and "Mathematics." Nearly 200 feature essays are interspersed, including "The Manhattan Project," "How did the Egyptians build the pyramids?," "Early surgery," "Time shifting," "The canal age," and "The size of the universe." These are best accessed from the table of contents, as the index doesn't differentiate essays from text references. Biographies appear as boxed insets with information on career highlights and a small portrait. While informative, the black-and-white photographs and illustrations found throughout are of mediocre quality. An affordable one-volume reference.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

BRYAN BUNCH has written a number of books about the history of science, mathematics, and related fields. He is the editor of the eight-volume reference work Diseases and coauthor of The Penguin Desk Encyclopedia of Science and Mathematics.

European correspondent ALEXANDER HELLEMANS regularly contributes to Nature, Science Now, and Science magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 784 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (April 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618221239
• ISBN-13: 978-0618221233
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,177,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BOOKS BY BRYAN BUNCH
201? Figures among the Stars (YA novel about adventures of young Archimedes and his friends)
2004 The History of Science and Technology, Houghton-Mifflin (with Alexander
Hellemans); also available in leather-bound Easton Press edition.
2003 Discover Science Almanac, Hyperion (with Jenny Tesar)
2001 Blackbirch Encyclopedia of Science and Invention, Blackbirch Press (with Jenny Tesar).
2000 Penguin Desk Encyclopedia of Science and Mathematics, Penguin U.S.A. (with Jenny Tesar--named by AAAS Science Books as one of the three best science reference books of the year)
The Kingdom of Infinite Number: A Field Guide, W.H. Freeman (Natural Science Book Club selection; New York Public Library 2001 Books for Teen Age List)
1998 Satellites and Probes (with Clint Hachett; vol. 12 of Outer Space), Grolier. Highly recommended by Book Report November/December 1998.
Family Encyclopedia of Disease, W. H. Freeman (Editor).
1997 Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes, Dover Publications (paperbound)
1996 The Globe Junior High School Science Series, New Revised Edition, Globe Book Company (Senior Author).
Handbook of Current Science and Technology (Gale Research).
1994 Handbook of Current Health and Medicine (Gale Research).
1993 The Timetables of Technology (with Alexander Hellemans), Simon and Schuster; also available as a CD ROM in 1997.
1992 The Henry Holt Handbook of Current Science and Technology, Henry Holt and Company; listed by Library Journal as one of the best science books of 1992 and by the American Librarians Association among the best reference sources of 1992.
1991 The Timetables of Science, new, updated edition (with Alexander Hellemans), Touchstone Books (Library of Science Book Club, Quality Paperback Book Club)
1990 Excel in Graphing Level H (with Margaret Hill), Modern Curriculum Press.
1989 Reality's Mirror: Exploring the Mathematics of Symmetry, John Wiley; listed by Library Journal as one of the best science books of 1989; also published in Japan in Japanese.
1988 The Timetables of Science (with Alexander Hellemans), Simon and Schuster; also published in England, in Germany (in German), in Japan (in Japanese), and Romania (in Rumanian).
1986 The Globe Junior High School Science Series, Globe Book Company (Senior Author).
1985 Harper & Row Elementary Mathematics, Grades K 8, Macmillan McGraw (Co author).
1984 The Science Almanac, Doubleday
A Practical Herb Garden (with recipes), TAB Books.
1983 Algebra One, McDougal, Littell (Co author). Fun with Math, World Book Childcraft.
1982 Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company (Library of Science Book Club); also published in Japan in Japanese.
Mathematics 7 and Mathematics 8, Harper & Row Publishers (Co author).
ARTICLES BY BRYAN H. BUNCH
2006 Additional articles in Diseases, 3rd Edition, Grolier/Scholastic
2001 Various articles in Diseases, 2nd Edition, Grolier
1998 16 biographies of scientists for Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists, Gale Research; 50 or more Science, Technology, and Science features for the McGraw-Hill Elementary Science 2000, McGraw-Hill. "Physical and Psychological Stress" and "The Cell" for Grolier Information Service. Fourth-grade physics units for Harcourt Elementary Science 2000 (Harcourt Brace).
1997 "Pythagoras of Samos" and "Huygens, Christiaan," The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier." Alzheimer's Disease," "Depressive Illness," "Hepatitis," and "Trigonometry" for Grolier Information Service.
1996 Various articles in Diseases, Grolier. "Gauss, Karl Friedrich," The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier.
1995 Revision of "Calculus," The Volume Library, Southwestern.
1993 "History of Mathematics" and "Number Names," The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier. Revision of The Mathematics Volume of The Volume Library, Southwestern.
1990 "Ice Ages," The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier.
1989 "The Electron Microscope," The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier.
1988 Revision of The Mathematics Volume of The Volume Library, Southwestern
1987 "Technology and Society" and "The Growth of the Factory" The New Book of Popular Science, Grolier "New Energy Technology" and "Timeline of Technology," The Volume Library, Southwestern. "Taking Major Tests," The Family Handbook, Southwestern.
1984 "Anthropology" and "Archaeology", The Volume Library, Southwestern.
1983 "Mathematics" (Volume 1 and volume 2) Student Handbook, Southwestern. The World Book of Math Power (coauthor), World Book Childcraft.
1982 "Religion," "Animal Behavior," "Astronautics," "Growing Plants," "New Concepts in Mathematics," and "Cosmology," The Volume Library, Southwestern.
1981 "Arithmetic," The Volume Library, Southwestern.
1979 Revision of "Mathematics," The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier.
1965 "Mathematics," "Number," "Numeral," and "Sets," The New Book of Knowledge,
Grolier.
1961 "Miniature Giants," Encyclopedia Yearbook, Grolier.
1959 64 Annual "The Year in Science," The Book of Knowledge Annual, Grolier.
1957 Poem "Excerpt from a Lecture," Riverside Poets 3, Twayne.



FREE LANCE WORK (BRYAN H. BUNCH)
2000 Writer/Editor: panoramas for Grolier Multi-Media Encyclopedia; Grolier. Consultant for
In the Jungle, Reader's Digest Children's Books.
1999 Writer/Editor: Earth Sciences for School (Macmillan); Consultant: Reader's Digest Children's Guide to the Universe (Reader's Digest); script for Gene Analysis (video, BFA Educational Media, with Alan McCormick)
1998 Consultant: Outer Space, Michael Friedman for Grolier ("Highly Recommended" by Book Report November/December 1998). Our Solar System, Looking into Space, The Human Body, The Solar System and The Human Body Zippers, Readers Digest.
1997 Consultant: CD ROM of The Timetables of Technology (Simon & Schuster Interactive/Byron Preiss).
1996 Consultant: The New York Public Library American History Desk Reference, Macmillan.
1995 Consultant: Member of Board of Advisors (for Mathematics) to The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (Gale Research). Mathematics consultant to The New Book of Knowledge (Grolier).
1994 Writer: Science test items for the states of Connecticut and Delaware. Consultant: New York Public Science Library Desk Reference (Prentice Hall).
1992 Writer: Science test items for the states of Kentucky and Connecticut. Sample Insight Card on Dialysis Machines (Mega Books). Consultant on Air and Space Adventure Cards (Grolier, Inc.).
1990 Writer: Criterion referenced tests for Scott Foresman mathematics program, Grade 7. Thematic tests in mathematics for Arizona. Editor: pre calculus mathematics for Houghton Mifflin.
1989 Writer: Problem solving worksheets, Grades 7 and 8, Macmillan elementary mathematics program. Tests for Grades 3 and 7, Scott Foresman mathematics program.
1987 Editor: "Hepatitis," "Plagues and History," and "Lung Cancer," Health and Medical Horizons 1988, Macmillan.
1986 Editor and Writer: Technology Volume in The Volume Library, Southwestern.
1984 Writer: Mathematics sections in Levels D F of Be a Better Reader, Prentice Hall. Environment and disease units for high school health textbook, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
1982 Writer: Mathematics history sections and features for Geometry, McDougal, Littell. Editor: "Health and Safety," "Life Science," "Physical Science," "Earth Science," "Space Science," "New Technology," "Biology," "Chemistry," and "Physics," Student Handbook, Southwestern.
1982 Writer: 12 chapters of elementary health for McDougal, Littell. 9 chapters of Jr. high health for Laidlaw Bros. Item Writer for science section of Survey of Basic Skills, Science Research Associates.
1980 Writer: Duplicating Masters for Grades 7 and 8 of Basic Reading Skills 7 & 8, Readers Digest.
1964 Editor: Mathematical Foundations for Social Analysis and Elements of Formal Logic, Bobbs Merrill.

OCCUPATIONS (BRYAN H. BUNCH)
1983 President, Scientific Publishing, Inc.
1983-1998 Adjunct Instructor in mathematics at Pace University, Pleasantville, New York
1981 Member of Board of Directors, Midstate College (Peoria, Illinois) accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools--since 1987, Secretary of the Board; from 1987 to 2001 Vice-President of the College
1981 Member of The Hudson Group, an organization of people who write books for a living; President 1984 1986, 1989, 1996
1980 Author and consultant.
1975 79 Senior Vice President and Editor in Chief, American Book Company, a company engaged solely in publishing elementary and secondary school textbooks; in charge of editorial and art departments and, for a time, the production department..
1960 75 Mathematics and Science Editor (1960 70) and head both departments; Associate Director of the School Department (1971 75), Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, supervising editorial development of elementary and secondary school textbooks.
1958 60 Assistant Editor of the Encyclopedia Yearbook, Grolier, Inc.
1957 58 English Teacher and Librarian, Tonica High School, Tonica, Illinois.

EDUCATION
1988 Audited History of Mathematics, Pace University
1959 65 Graduate studies in mathematics, New York University.
1957 58 Teaching Remedial Reading, Bradley University, Poetry Workshop,New School for Social Research
1954 57 BA in English, Trinity College, Hartford

ORGANIZATIONS AND HONORS
Who's Who in American Education: 1992 1993, Marquis Who's Who
Who's Who in Media and Communications: 1998 1999, Marquis Who's Who
Dictionary of International Biography, 28th Edition, International Biographical Centre
Outstanding People of the 20th Century, 1999, International Biographical Centre
Board of Directors, Pleasant Valley Library 1996-2010
Rotary 2004, President Rotary Club of Millbrook 2008-09
Board of Directors, Mid-Hudson Addiction Recovery Centers, Inc. 2003-
Board of Directors, MARC Foundation, Inc. 2002- President, 2004-

PERSONAL
Married, 3 children, 6 grandchildren


SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING, INC. PROJECTS


Scientific Publishing is a corporate extension used primarily for development and production of books or other materials edited by or written by Bryan Bunch. It often produces finished pages--as files on disk today--for use in making film and plates, but can deliver manuscript instead of pages as needed by the publisher.

2006 Diseases , 3rd ed. (Grolier/Scholastic). Jenny Tesar, co-editor
2004 The History of Science and Technology, Houghton-Mifflin (with Alexander
Hellemans)
2001 Diseases, 2nd ed. (Grolier)
2000 The Penguin Desk Encyclopedia of Science and Mathematics, Penguin USA. The New York Times Almanac 2001 (science section), Penguin USA.
1999 The New York Times Almanac 2000 (science section), Penguin USA.
1998 Family Encyclopedia of Disease (W.H. Freeman). The New York Times Almanac 1999 (science section), Penguin USA. Updates of 31 articles for Grolier Information Service.
1997 Diseases (Grolier)--"highly recommended" by Booklist and The Book Report. The New York Times Almanac 1998 (science section), Penguin USA.
1996 Handbook of Current Science and Technology (Gale Research). The Universal Almanac, 1997 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel.
1995 The Universal Almanac, 1996 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel. Production of Globe Science Series (Globe Fearon).
1994 Handbook of Current Health and Medicine (Gale Research). The Universal Almanac, 1995 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel.
1993 The Timetables of Technology, Simon and Schuster. The Universal Almanac, 1994 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel.
1992 The Henry Holt Handbook of Current Science and Technology, Henry Holt and Company. The Universal Almanac, 1993 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel.
1991 The Timetables of Science, new updated edition, Touchstone Books. Wildlife Adventure Cards (initial set and teacher's material), Grolier. "Taking Major Tests," Volume Library, Southwestern. Data analysis of Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier. The Universal Almanac, 1992 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel.
1990 The Universal Almanac, 1991 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel.
1989 The Universal Almanac, 1990 (Science section), Andrews and McNeel. 10 new monthly issues of the Teacher's Guide to Partners in English, Reader's Digest.
1988 The Timetables of Science, Simon and Schuster. The New Golden Encyclopedia (Science and Technology articles), Western. Teacher's Guide to Partners in English (10 monthly issues), Reader's Digest.
1987 Technology Volume of The New Book of Popular Science, Grolier. Math Skillbuilder 5 (Golden Step Ahead Plus program), Western.
1986 Scientific Yearbook 1986, Facts on File. Math Skillbuilders 3 and Multiplication & Division (both Grades 3 and 4, Golden Step Ahead Plus series), Western.
1985 Medical Update 1986, World Book. Scientific Yearbook 1985, Facts on File.
1984 The Science Almanac, 1985 86, Doubleday. Medical Update 1985, World Book. Six books in the Golden Step Ahead series, Western.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, July 26, 2004

By 

Richard Sears (Puyallup, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The History of Science and Technology: A Browser's Guide to the Great Discoveries, Inventions, and the People Who MadeThem from the Dawn of Time to Today (Hardcover)

The editorial review pretty much says it all. 720 pages of data (with another 55 pages of index to make things even easier to find) makes for a very fat and heavy book. On the other hand, it takes quite a bit of space to pack in all the significant achievements in science and technology during the past 2,600,000 years.
Ten blocks of time are each introduced with an overview that summarizes the achievements during that period and places them in perspective. Following these essays, the chapters are filled with brief comments along a timeline about developments in twenty areas ranging from anthropology and astronomy to tools and transportation. It's claimed that there are more than 7,000 of these vignettes, so it's obvious that the coverage on any one is less than exhaustive. However, there are four columns to a page, so there's ample room for more than a quick mention. Beginning with the Medieval Era, the timeline condenses into an almost year by year examination. By the 18th century, each year is given substantial space.
Along with all this, there are more than 200 thumbnail biographies of noted scientists and inventors and almost 200 half or full page essays on topics of particular interest or significance such as early surgery, the history of pepper, group theory, and the development of radio.
Best of all, everything is explained with a simplicity that will please any interested lay person and an up-to-the-minute authority that will satisfy the experts. It will not give the reader any in-depth understanding of science or technology, and the bibliography is disappointingly limited. However, for pleasure browsing and interest piquing, this is a terrific value.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Chronology Over Context, March 11, 2007

By 

Steve Ruskin (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The History of Science and Technology: A Browser's Guide to the Great Discoveries, Inventions, and the People Who MadeThem from the Dawn of Time to Today (Hardcover)

There are a number of encyclopedias and reference works covering the history of science and technology. The nature of most of these is to cover a topic ("Galileo," "Medieval Astronomy," etc.) in the format of an article. This particular work, however, takes a different approach: it reviews the history of science and technology chronologically, from prehistory to 2003. The author states clearly in the introduction, "the main body of the book is a chronicle of virtually everything that has happened in science and technology, including false steps and ignored precursors." Ambitious indeed.

This book divides the history of science and technology into ten sections: 1. Prehistory; 2. Antiquity; 3. Medieval Science and Technology; 4. The Renaissance and Scientific Revolution; 5. The Scientific Method; 6. The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution; 7. The Nineteenth Century; 8. Modern Science and Technology; 9. Big Science and Post Industrial Society; and finally 10. The Information Age

While these are not conventional periods they work OK for the purposes of the book. However, the end result is to provide a century-by-century, decade-by-decade, year-by-year sampling of the different ideas and inventions as they happened. Because these developments are simply placed in order of the year they were produced, and not connected in any significant way to events that preceded them and made them possible, there is very little context to any of these discoveries and inventions. This is essentially a reference work at the high-school level.

With a book formatted in this way a good index is crucial. Fortunately, this book has a massive one. So, while you can't look up, say, "medieval astronomy," you can look up "astrolabe" and "Ptolemy" (assuming you already know that is what you should be looking for). Thus while this book offers very little in the way of context, it lives up to its subtitle as a "browser's guide." For those interested in a year-by-year approach to historical developments in science and technology, this is the book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book, September 13, 2010

By 

Sara - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The History of Science and Technology: A Browser's Guide to the Great Discoveries, Inventions, and the People Who MadeThem from the Dawn of Time to Today (Hardcover)

This book is a requirement for one of my college courses. There is so much information in this book about science, inventions, and discoveries. The negative; it's in date order. If you are trying to research by subject it would be difficult in this book. If you are search by time, this book is excellent. This is one of my books that I will keep after my class is completed.