The Age of Science

by Gerard Piel

Book Overview

When historians of the future come to examine western civilization in the twentieth century, one area of intellectual accomplishment will stand out above all others: more than any other era before it, the twentieth century was an age of science. Not only were the practical details of daily life radically transformed by the application of scientific discoveries, but our very sense of who we are, how our minds work, how our world came to be, how it...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465057551
• ISBN13: 9780465057559
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.7" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Age of Sicnce

Gerard Piel's "The Age of Science" is an excellent historical overview of some of the major advances in the biological and physical sciences during the 20th century with their roots in the 19th century and earlier. The book does not claim to cover all areas and it doesn't. On the other hand, the section on earth history and the evolution of life, and tools and human evolution yield interesting and valuable perspectives. The major weakness is the book's diagrams which are sometimes hard to read, othertimes difficult to interpret.

Nit-picking, indeed

The long and thoughtful comment below may, in fact, be accurate. Mistakes do creep into the publishing process, unfortunately. But as someone who has been involved in the professional science community for many years, I feel these small errors should be overlooked in the interest of the greater whole. This is a major, highly readable work by one of the most important scientists and journalists of our time. Beautifully illustrated, each of the chapters is compelling in its own right and can be read by anyone with a keen sense of curiosity about the scientific discovery process. To see it as anything less is quibbling indeed. Fans of "Uncle Tungsten" by my neighbor Dr Oliver Sacks and the current popular hit "Tuxedo Park" will love this beautifully packaged book and find it every bit as accessible and riveting.

reply to nagashima

We have taken notice of the points scored by George Nagashima in his reader-review of The Age of Science by Gerard Piel, a Cornelia and Michael Bessie Book, published by Basic Books. Mr. Nagashima's helpul perceptions will be reflected in the next printing of the book. Thus, his finding of a "mistake...of 50 MILLION percent" may and will be set aright by restatement of a metaphorical explanation of the familiar equation E=mc^2; thus: "...one may attempt to picture 9x10^8 tons accelerated..." instead of "one may attempt to picture the acceleration of 9x10^8 tons." To the general reader, The Age of Science has had recommenation by every scientist who has had the pleasure of reading it. Philip Morrison, the MIT astrophysicist, has this to say: "Gerard Piel describes science and scientists as he - no scientist but a clear and happy writer and attentive expositor - judges the work. Chapter by chapter, he summarizes...space and time in four dimensions, particles, quantum theory, the living cell, geology and the rise and evolution of our own sapient species. This work is both personal enough to engage anyone and precise enough to carry the work of science at a worthy level." In the international weekly Nature, the sociologist Zaheer Baber of the University of Saskatchewan, writes: "The fact that Piel consistently connects the growth of scientific knowledge to the social and political milieu of its genesis, while simultaneously alluding to the changes in the social context induced by these discoveries makes The Age of Science...the most intelligent, lucid and sociologically sensitive discussion of the broad trajectory of scientific knowledge yet available." As the publisher who urged the author to undertake this book, I am gratified and proud of its reception by the scientific community and thus able to commend it to the wide audience to which it is addressed.

A fine overview of scientific knowledge

Gerard Piel's Age Of Science provides a fine overview to scientific knowledge gained in the 20th century. This review of achievements considers insights on the subatomic world, cosmology, biology, geology and evolution. Over 100 illustrations pack this easily-absorbed extensive survey.

Sporadically Brilliant Exposition of Last Century's Science

Written from the vantage point of a journalist of science, this book tells the panoramic story of human progress (and no, that's not an oxymoron) toward understanding what constitutes the universe and how it works. Piel's role as publisher of Scientific American seems to have given him access to a multitude of excellent anecdotes and incisive explanatory metaphors that I hadn't previously encountered. There are 70 to 100 paragraphs that explain breakthroughs in scientific understanding in ways that were, for me, breakthroughs. The book suffered fom illustrations that were insufficiently legible, and which demanded more explanation. Also, Piel needs a stronger editor who can weed out the sometimes clumsy phrasings and pontifications. All in all, though, this is a terrific contribution. I put it on a par with the popular works of John Gribbin, James Treffil, Jared Diamond and David Quammen.