Gribbin, John. The Scientists: A History of Science Told through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors. Random House, 2004.
John Gribbin is a man of many parts. Trained in astrophysics under Fred Hoyle, Gribbin is almost as prolific a writer as Isaac Asimov. Most of his work has been science writing, but he has also done novels, children’s books, and biographies. He and a colleague wrongly predicted that the position of the planets would cause an earthquake in the San Andreas Fault in the 1980s, but they both disavowed their work early, Gribbin calling it “too clever by half.” The Scientists is a readable history of science from Copernicus to black holes and string theory. Unsurprisingly, it is heavy on astrophysics, but it also deals with chemistry, geology, and evolution. The major figures are shown to be men with diverse, fully rounded personalities. He argues that Robert Hooke deserves more credit than he gets and Newton perhaps less. He points out instances where seminal thinkers were ignored because someone else published first. In general, he says, the progress of science has been evolutionary in its development, not revolutionary. If you like works by Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, you will probably like The Scientists as well. 4 stars. ( )

Very comprehensive coverage of Western science with a focus on the scientists. Probably too long to assign the whole thing to class, but could do individual chapters or parts.

Overview books are tricky, and most fail. Many things have happened, y'know? And a book that includes a great deal of them often turns into...well, into a list of things that have happened. This is why all textbooks suck.

So one has to pick and choose, and the choice necessarily creates a perspective. You've picked up these select threads, which leaves you inevitably with that picture. And the trick in writing a good overview book is to end up with a picture that's interesting, compelling, and most of all, coherent.

I only read 100 pages of Gribbin's book and then set it down, because I have this complicated reading schedule and it called for these 100 pages and then something else. I'll come back to the rest later, when it arrives on my mental syllabus. But so far, I think Gribbin is picking the right threads. I like the line he draws from William Gilbert, of whom I'd never heard, to Galileo. It was neat; I liked learning about Gilbert, and I liked his take on Galileo. He's fussy about who he chooses to mention, and how much, and in relation to whom else, and it's working for me.

I look forward to getting back to this. I even have hopes of bumping it up to five stars when it's all over. ( )

Excellent history of science told through the life of scientists. Gribbin has just the right touch of snark, and his own training as a scientist gives him a unique perspective. ( )

A bit of a slog in same areas, but fascinating in others. Very uneven in quality. Probably intended for a UK audience. ( )