Customer Reviews

The Scientific Traveler: A Guide to the People, Places, and Institutions of Europe (Wiley Science Editions)

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I can't believe this book is out of print. Didn't the Astronomical Society of the Pacific carry it?

It succeeds at its unique role: a travel guide for the scientifically inclined. It notes the problem that one can easily walk right by places of great importance in the history of science that are in the immediate vicinity of places everyone knows, for lack of a handy guide to where they are. One example of this is the old Cavendish lab in Cambridge, the nursery of the atomic age and where the genetic code was deciphered. It's barely 100 m from Kings College, the most popular tourist spot in the city. Another is the plaque at Oxford commemorating where Robert Boyle did experiments with his air pump, built by Robert Hooke, who built a microscope and discovered living cells. It's just down the street from All Souls College. Another is the apartment in Bern in which Einstein lived when he was a patent clerk in 1905, in which he wrote four papers that revolutionized physics (the photoelectric effect, special relativity, E=mc2, and Brownian motion). I'm ashamed to admit having walked right by it in 1972, because I didn't know it was there, and this book didn't exist. Next time, I won't miss it!

This book is also a pleasant read, not bad for first-class history of science. The organization is unusual, being geographical, but then, it is a travel guide. Still, the history is thorough and well written.

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The Scientific Traveler takes you to places where the great names in science lived and work - to famous (and some not-so-famous) sites of scientific interest. Richly embellished with historical facts and perspective, this compelling book reflects the authors' intimate knowledge of Europe and their joy in seeking out the historic roots that we all too often take for granted. From Stonehenge to Lascaux, from Hippocrates' birthplace to Volta's workshop to Einstein's house in Bern, this book explores the fascinating origins and more recent developments in every major field of science. This intriguing book: 1) Provides country-by-country guide to scientifically significant places form the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Western Europe to St. Petersberg. 2) Covers all sciences, including physics, chemistry, biology, the earth sciences, anthropology, and astronomy. 3) Includes historical and biographical narrative and rich personal detail and anecdotes that you won't find in conventional guidebooks or textbooks 4) Features maps, general directions, and detailed descriptions of places to visit.

This is an entertaining book about the lives of many scientists who were in Europe. It is quite interesting to read about the research work of individuals as well as their problems with the authorities for political involvement or for speaking out. The book is easy to read and rich with content. I own two copies of it. There also is a lot of information about areas of Europe such as particular places and how they fit into history not just of science too. It is worth reading if one has an interest in science and wants to know also about places where science research was done.