A Little History of Science

"One advantage of a brief history is that this impressive roll of modern achievements unfolds while the leaps of prior centuries are still fresh in mind. That juxtaposition of what we know now verses what we knew then is breathtaking to contemplate. In Mr Bynum’s telling, a little history goes a long way."—Alan Hirshfeld, Wall Street Journal

"This freshest entry in Yale’s youngster-friendly Little History series covers science from Babylonian astronomy to the Human Genome Project and the Higgs Boson, in a series of lucid short chapters on telescopes, gases, engines, planetary orbits, cells, magnetism, pneumatic chemistry, continental drift and so forth. The author is particularly interesting on the history of medicine (his own field) . . . and he shows a gentle tolerant humour throughout."—Steven Poole, The Guardian

"[An] entertaining history . . . for curious teen and adult readers."—Publishers Weekly

"Beginning with the Babylonians and ending with the World Wide Web, Bynum manages to squeeze in nearly every essential scientific idea and discovery while also discussing most major disciplines. . . . I happily confess I learned a lot."—Andrew Robinson, New Scientist

"This is a thoughtful, elegantly presented volume with the younger reader in mind, although it’s an inspiring reminder to anyone of our extraordinary journey from ignorance to knowledge. . . . Each chapter is headed with a beautifully simple, monochrome block-print style illustration that encapsulates its themes."—Dallas Campbell, BBC Focus

"This interesting book traces the history of science in easy-to-consume bites, from the earliest recorded anatomical, mathematical and medical theories through to the most up-to-date references to the Higgs boson and the latest hypothesis on string theory. They’re all made readable for the inquisitive non-scientists among us." Good Reading.