Brian Clegg's "The Scientists Who Write" is a vast feast of knowledge that explores 150 landmark science books and their authors who have greatly influenced the development of human civilization over 2500 years from ancient times to the present. From Archimedes to Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and Hawking, it introduces the brilliant achievements of great scientists who have expanded humanity's intellectual horizons beyond time and the books containing their thoughts, illuminating the process of scientific knowledge development in an interesting and profound way.
Based on his experience of writing over 40 popular science books, the author thoroughly analyzes each book's characteristics, historical background, position in the history of science, and limitations. Departing from a rigid chronological listing, it clearly explains the meaning and impact of each book in the flow of scientific knowledge, helping readers understand the history of science. In addition, over 280 high-quality illustrations, including book covers, illustrations, author images, and historical materials, help readers understand and provide visual enjoyment, giving the impression of unfolding a systematic archive where you can see the history of scientific knowledge at a glance.
The book widely covers monumental books that marked important moments in the history of science, from attempts to estimate the size of the universe such as Archimedes' "The Sand Reckoner" to Copernicus' "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres," Kepler's "Astronomia Nova," Newton's "Principia," Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," Einstein's theory of relativity, and Hawking's books dealing with the cutting edge of modern science. It also introduces the touching stories of books that directly contributed to saving human lives, such as Ignaz Semmelweis's "The Cause, Concept and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever," showing how scientific knowledge can change the world and positively impact human lives.
The author emphasizes how important the medium of books has been to the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge, and believes that even in the digital age, science books still serve as a beacon illuminating humanity's intellectual growth. Through books, we can encounter the thoughts of scientists from hundreds and thousands of years ago, and we can continuously explore and develop new knowledge based on their wisdom. This book does not simply list the history of science, but provides deep insights into how scientific knowledge has been accumulated and developed through the medium of books, and how it will continue in the future.
As translator Je Hyo-young, who translated "The Scientists Who Write" into Korean, says, scientific knowledge is not confined to a small number of experts who make science their profession, but is completed and continues to develop only when it flows out into the world and reaches the eyes of more people like fresh air. One of the important features of this book is that it significantly examines what kind of science books readers in each era wanted and how scientists responded to this. The great journey made by scientists who write books and people who read books is contained in this one volume.