Scientific American: Science Desk Reference [Hardcover]

Editors of Scientific American (Author), John Rennie (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471356751 | ISBN-13: 978-0471356752 | Publication Date: September 16, 1999 | Edition: 1st,Desk

Who names newly discovered planets? What exactly are black holes? Where are there the most earthquakes? When did the first Homo sapiens walk the earth? Why is the night sky dark? How does the fluoride in toothpaste prevent cavities? Since 1845, Scientific American has answered questions and provided the best information available in all areas of science. Now, Scientific American is proud to present an accessible, one-volume reference covering all the sciences. Whether you want to examine the tiniest microbes, the properties of the earth's core, or the farthest reaches of space, this handy desk reference is the resource to turn to for the answers you need. * Over 500 biographies of key science figures * Thousands of glossary terms * Hundreds of useful Web sites * Tables, charts, diagrams, and illustrations * Sidebars featuring fascinating facts, mnemonic aids, and quizzes * Essays exploring ideas in-depth

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This authoritative and affordable single-volume science desk reference covers a range of topics, including measurement, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth science, environment and ecology, biology, the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, the human body, health and disease, computer science, technology, and inventions, discoveries, and prizes. Each chapter presents an overview of the subject, facts displayed as tables and diagrams, subject glossaries, a chronology, achievements of notable scientists, related web sites, and bibliographies for further reading. Given its readability, the great illustrations, and Scientific American's reputation, this reference is highly recommended for both academic and public libraries.
-Paul G. Haschak, Southeastern Louisiana Univ., Hammond
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Scientific American magazine has long set the standard for popular science writing in the U.S. by publishing articles that explain science to nonspecialists in a thorough yet understandable manner. This new book builds on the expertise of the magazine and provides the reader with a single-volume overview of the entire range of science and technology.

The work is divided into 16 sections representing different fields of science, from mathematics and physics to the environment, biology, and the health sciences. Each section contains brief essays covering the key concepts and research in the field, along with various tables and statistical data. Every section also provides the reader with a glossary, very brief biographies of important scientists, a chronology of events (generally current to mid-1998), links to relevant Web sites, and a bibliography of classic books. Black-and-white illustrations enhance the text, and a comprehensive index helps the reader locate a specific topic of interest anywhere in the work.

There is a great deal of good information in this single volume, allowing it to serve as a scientific encyclopedia, dictionary, chronology, and biography all in one. With its low price and authoritative provenance, it should become a standard science ready-reference tool for libraries serving high-school students, college students, and adults, especially if it is updated.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons; 1st,Desk edition (September 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471356751
• ISBN-13: 978-0471356752
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #610,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get This Book!, July 31, 2001

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CMOS (US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Scientific American: Science Desk Reference (Hardcover)

So you're not a physicist or a bio-chemist, or even a high school math teacher ... you still need this book. Perhaps you love quiz shows, or maybe just want to explain to your children how certain things in the world work. This is the book that can provide a great many answers about how things in this (and other) worlds work - and why.

I can't tell you how many times some technical subject was mentioned on TV or in a movie or the paper, and then a day later I picked up this book, thumbed to the appropriate page and found meaningful answers. A great reference tool to have around the house, in your dorm room or in the classroom. And generally speaking, you don't need to be a professor (of anything) to understand the explanations given in the book (though basic math skills help in some areas).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for High School Students and General Readers, March 19, 2004

By 

David N. Reiss (Haymarket, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scientific American: Science Desk Reference (Hardcover)

This book, the "Scientific American Science Desk Reference" is a fine book about most of the major aspects of science. It is similar in approach and form to Isaac Asimov's New Guide to Science. But, Asimov hasn't gotten around to updating his book, most probably due to his death. This book is probably a little more accessible to the average reader.

I especially like this books coverage of all the major topics, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, biology, geology, meteorology, human and animal physiology, and technology.

The thing I like most about this book is its reliance on relevant history of the topic to teach it. There are charts and tables of the various time lines of when and who made discoveries in the various fields. The fine editors also included short biographies of the major people in each of the subjects, from the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and writers, to some of the latest Nobel Prize winners.

My only quibbles would be the use of some terminology that seems loose to me. For example, it's use of the phrase "Earth Science" instead of geology. It does this to be open and accessible to the uninitiated, which is an admirable goal, but it is my belief that it can lead to fuzzy thinking in the long run. After all, "Earth Science" can apply to planets other than Earth as well.

My other major quibble is its inclusion of the Computer Sciences and Technology as a major topic, on par with, for example, Physics or Biology. As a computer geek professional this is something that I, on the one hand, like as it shows respect for my chosen field of endeavor, but that on the other hand, see as a very much useless to the average person. Much of the discussion of computers and technology will be out of date in a few short years. I really don't think the average person needs to know the formal difference between a mainframe, minicomputer, and microcomputer or the right and proper definition of an operating system. And the stuff about the Internet went out of the date about five seconds after it was written, let alone published. Again though, our editor's kind hearts were in the right place.

Staying with my quibbles of their computer section of a minute, I also want to point out that they are missing a few very important names from the field. They have Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and even have two of our fields fine Internet pioneers listed with Marc Andreessen and Tim Berners-Lee, but Steve Wozniak and Doug Engelbart are not mentioned at all in the mini biographies section. Woz is as important as Steve Jobs, and Doug Engelbart was probably the single most important person in the field during the last 40 years. To quote Alan Kay, "I don't know what Silicon Valley will do when it runs out of Doug's ideas". Only now is the field stopping to recognize what Engelbart envisioned in what is now called "the Mother of all Demos", or "the 1968 Demo". Hypertext, networking, the Mouse, e-mail, online help, a Windowing environment, etc. were all thought up or anticipated by him in 1968. It is disappointing that Scientific American didn't note him in this section.

All in all this is a fine book though. It is worthwhile for those looking for something that is a good overview of science. I would make a great reference for any high school student looking for general science information.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, May 22, 2004

By 

James Kielland (Montezuma, Costa Rica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scientific American: Science Desk Reference (Hardcover)

While this is a highly useful desk reference I was disappointed in some ways. There's lots of useful information here, but it's laid out in a rather drab and uninteresting format. And some of it seems a bit dated: some of the computer science information read like something out of a TIME-LIFE "Understanding Computers" book from the late 1980s.

On the positive side, the book is a great single-volume reference that makes looking for basic facts relatively easy and serves as a good way to refresh one's memory of things studied years ago. And even if you've not studied the topics formally the articles remain accessible for most people, particularly the kind of people who would buy such a book. Looking for dates of discovery? Important terms? Basic concepts? Charts of different measures? It's all here, and a whole lot more.

One of the things I find myself enjoying is that there is a lot of information on important scientists who made crucial discoveries. Want to know the big names in chemistry, physics, and astronomy? You can find them here. Beyond explaining science in its contemporary findings the book does a respectable job of putting science into a historical context.

The layout is quite drab. In looking at the colorful cover of this book, considering its substantial price, and combining that with my long experience of reading Scientific American, I was expecting some high-quality illustrations. All you get in this book is rather bland line-art. I wasn't expecting a "Golden Book of Science with Pictures" but high-quality illustrations of things like cells, plants, animals, and celestial bodies would have been a nice addition. Stylistically, this book is rather boring. But if you're of the school of thought that "boring=serious=good" (a highly dubious notion, but some cling to it) you may like this.

All in all, this is a useful book. It's the type of book journalists who cover science related news should have readily available. It would be a useful addition to any library. And with the proliferation of scientific discoveries in the news these days it's a useful reference that belongs in the homes of curious people who just want to understand a little more about what's going on in the world. There's a lot of useful information here and the binding is of very high-quality.