Isaac Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology: The Lives and Achievements of 1195 Great Scientists from Ancient Times to the Present Chronologically Arranged

by Isaac Asimov

Book Overview

Using a chronological arrangement, Asimov outlines the accomplishments of 1,510 scientists, past and present. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380006197
• ISBN13: 9780380006199
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 805 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Capsule biographies of humanities brilliance

How often can you call a reference book delightful? This is a collection of biographies of scientists, starting with the first we know of by name. (Imhotep - also the first scientist to be declared a god.) Asimov's writing style makes them fun to read, full of fascinating facts, and nicely cross-referenced.

So readable, it is probably the only reference work I have read twice

This may be the only reference book that I have ever read through twice. Since the biographies are in chronological order, Asimov manages to not only introduce the people; he also describes the development of scientific knowledge over the centuries. The first person described is Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian scholar who lived 2980 - 2950 B. C. and the last and 1195th biography is that of the late Carl Sagan. The contents are expressed in alphabetical order, which makes it very easy to find the biography that you are looking for. Most of the biographies are on the order of half a page, although that of Newton is seven pages. Which is rightfully so, Newton is generally acknowledged as the greatest scientist of all time. This is also one of the few reference books that can serve as an object of light, recreational reading. Asimov has no peer when it comes to making complex scientific topics easy to understand.

Interesting biographies of very interesting people

The men and women of science are an interesting and varied group of people. Bound strongly by ability and occasionally also luck, their collective efforts have in the past and continue to dramatically change the world. In this volume, Asimov writes short biographies of the leading figures and places them in chronological order of their birth. This provides a unique perspective to the development of science as you can follow the development of the major ideas, from the original germ to the nearly complete theory. The biographies are largely short, being merely a synopsis of the achievement of these great people. However, Asimov does capture the essence of who they were and what they accomplished. In my capacity as an editor, I occasionally need some background information about a historical figure, and this is the first resource I turn to.