Product Description

The story of science continues with the reclusive Copernicus and his astounding theory that the sun is at the center of the universe, and closes with the basics of atomic theory, offering intriguing portraits of the scientists who built on each other's theories in their tireless pursuit of answers. 300 color photographs, illustrations, and maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11803 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-25
• Released on: 2005-10-25
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Hardcover
• 480 pages

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 7 Up–In this second book in the series, Hakim introduces students to the great scientific minds of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and others. Teachers will find anecdotal information to enliven their lessons; browsers will be fascinated by the sidebars and captioned illustrations that enhance the text or show related information. The detailed index makes finding specific individuals, theories, or inventions easy. In an easy, conversational style, the author speaks directly to readers, opening with, Read this book and you'll know more science than Isaac Newton did. Full-color illustrations, reproductions, or other graphics appear on almost every page. A tremendous amount of research went into this volume and reading it will greatly increase students' understanding of the history and discovery of scientific theory and invention. Because of its size and weight, this title will need to be booktalked. Put it into the hands of science students who are eager to read beyond the brief snippets found in less comprehensive books.–Kathy Lehman, Thomas Dale High School Library, Chester, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. In the second volume of a planned six-book series, Hakim surveys the interlocked histories of early modern astronomy, physics, mathematics, and chemistry--from the invention of printing to the discovery of radioactivity at the end of the nineteenth century. This is a lot of territory to cover, and particularly with respect to the explosion of research in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Hakim introduces so many major figures, in such rapid succession, that they aren't always easy to keep straight--despite a number of piquant biographical tidbits. Furthermore, her main narrative is surrounded by such an array of marginal glosses, explanations, examples, and experiments, in various typefaces, that it sometimes seems to intrude on rather than unite the material. Still, her animated discourse lends immediacy to every breakthrough, and this outing, though overstuffed, should be considered essential reading for its elucidation of difficult concepts, unfailingly relevant diagrams and illustrations, and engaging portraits of individuals caught up in a whirl of world-altering insights into what makes the universe tick. An annotated resource list is appended. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

American Educator
[W]hen master storyteller Joy Hakim wields her pen, take heart: you're in for a breathtaking adventure.

Customer Reviews

Captivating read!
Our high school children found this to be a great adjunct for their science education. It's well written and has great graphics, so it keeps the attention and informs well in the process. We homeschool and use more specific texts at this level, but it is still a great overview.

Wonderful!
I can't sing Hakim's praises enough - from her History of US series to the The Story of Science, all three volumes so far. I've been an avid science fan my whole life, but not a hard science major, and I gasped all the way through these books as I learned things I never knew, but thought I'd known, or finally understood things I'd known about but that had puzzled me. Get over the "distracting" sidebars - they didn't bother me at all and they were full of great stuff. I ate these books up and I was only reading them to preview for my homeschooler who hates math and is bored by science, but loves history. Joy Hakim has a wonderful ability to take a huge subject (all of US history, for instance, and the development and progress of scientific thought in this case) and make it manageable, new and a fun read. My daughter is discovering that science and math really are amazing and play a critical, pivotal role in the unfolding of human history.

Another Great Book!
I notice that one negative review has been repeated on multiple Joy Hakim books verbatim.

I LIKE the sidebars and pictures. There is a ton of ART history and beautiful graphic design work in the books. Perhaps it is because my husband, son and I are all artists, but we particularly enjoyed the layout of the books. I felt a fusion of science with art in the presentation.

The history is sound, well presented, and detailed enough in scope to touch on mathmatical concepts supporting the science.

I'd reccomend this book for lovers of science history and for older homeschoolers. It is a bit too serious for younger homeschoolers. To me, this is more a book for a older preteen or teen audience.