Girija Ramani

"The romance of learning never dies. There is, however, a periodic shift in the context of such learning. This collection of essays mirrors the explosion of knowledge in which Science has assumed pride of place and demanded exactness of expression. The fact that English in our country is used as a tool for communication makes such a skill all the more desirable.
The essays span almost a century of good scientific writing, ranging, as it does, from T. H. Huxley's lecture to a group of working men at the turn of the last century to Peter Laurie's introduction to computers of our own day. Instead of the musical cadences of De Quincey, we now have prose writers like Krutch who can present Science in an allusive style, mixing the magic of nature with the marvels of scientific investigation, skillfully weaving the poetry of Walt Whitman into the facts of the theory of evolution. The essays of Bronowski, Niblett and Haldane are written in simple language, allaying our fear of Science -- telling us that Science is no unmapped territory where we should fear to tread.
The essays, covering a broad spectrum of subjects like biology, physics, geology, medicine and computer science, have been so arranged that the reader may have a glimpse of this large field of writing. This collection has been made selecting the essays from various sources in the hope that they will provide information and delight to our readers while improving their skill in communication.
As an aid to the reader, meanings of unfamiliar words have been given and simple questions have been framed to test the grasp of the subject.
It is hoped that this collection of thought-provoking essays will also provide some adventures of the mind."… (mais)