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6th out of 61 books
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37 voters
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The Discoverers
An original history of man's greatest adventure: his search to discover the world around him.
Paperback, 745 pages
Published
January 26th 2011
by Vintage
(first published 1983)
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Three-and-a-half stars for the book itself, which presents the history of human thought in chapters that detail the world's greatest discoveries, scientists and thinkers from astronomy to geography to psychology to religion and dozens of other points in between.
I round my review up to four for the fact that my copy is dog-eared and falling apart because it was my late father's favourite book. He was an armchair traveller and pursuer of knowledge who was curtailed only by his lif...more
I round my review up to four for the fact that my copy is dog-eared and falling apart because it was my late father's favourite book. He was an armchair traveller and pursuer of knowledge who was curtailed only by his lif...more
One of my all-time favorite books. I bought it as an ‘airport’ book for a long flight in about 1985 and could not put it down. My old paper back , dog eared and extensively annotated finally fell apart earlier this year so I bought a second hand hard cover and went on annotating. I have read it three times from cover to cover and several more times in bits and pieces.
Boorstin documents in wonderful conversational and personal prose the historical process of discovery of the heavens , e...more
Boorstin documents in wonderful conversational and personal prose the historical process of discovery of the heavens , e...more
I had no idea this Boorstin guy was well known when I stole the beat up old book from my family's bookshelf for my own perusal. I was pleasantly surprised the entire time, amazed that what I thought was a run of the mill shelf filler would be so consistently interesting an engaging. It's a neat book, one worth reading - it's been a while now and I don't remember most of what is in there, but I can tell you that I'll never think of clocks the same way again.
The Discoverers by Daniel Boorstin, published in 1985, is a solid, thoroughly researched and well documented series of 82 essays on the history of human discovery. Some of these discoveries are physical, such as the New World or the trade route around Africa. Some of the discoveries are scientific such as the Calculus, the atom, or Evolution. For me, the book has two aspects that set it well above similar works on scientific history. That is, an exploration of how we discovered things that o...more
I feel this book on discoverers even surpasses 'The Creators' by the same author. It was strange to see that many of the things I had been taught as inventions in school were infact discoveries only. Galileo's telescope invention for example. The author credits him with the discovery of 4 moons of Jupiter and the fact that he discovered that Milkyway Galaxy is only a conglomerate of stars! Revealing.
I liked the Portuguese efforts charting the seas on the West African coast and the final ...more
I liked the Portuguese efforts charting the seas on the West African coast and the final ...more
Pablo
added it
I enjoyed hearing about human ingenuity over the ages.
I particularly liked hearing about the mapping of the seas.
Points on a map, incrementally added over time, arrived at by
exceptional adventure/vision/luck/greed. Another interesting
theme was the transformation of old ideas to new; the
tenacity of tradition. The often mundane and sometimes
brutality of dogma. How a person forges a new path with
insight and research and encourages those two great tasks; yet,
...more
I particularly liked hearing about the mapping of the seas.
Points on a map, incrementally added over time, arrived at by
exceptional adventure/vision/luck/greed. Another interesting
theme was the transformation of old ideas to new; the
tenacity of tradition. The often mundane and sometimes
brutality of dogma. How a person forges a new path with
insight and research and encourages those two great tasks; yet,
...more
I think this makes a great graduation gift for high school seniors. At the same time, it is a veritable treasure trove of information about the history of the West and of a good deal of world history. Boorstin, a trained historian and the former Librarian of Congress has an encyclopedic grasp of his subject and writes with elegance and wit. Though you might not expect it, this is a page turner of a book. He has a tremendous gift for storytelling and his characterizations bring so many time per...more
It took me about six weeks to read this book because I wanted to take my time with it.
The Discoverers is a history of our attempt to understand the world and our place in it. This story of science and exploration is divided into these four books:
1. Time - how attempts to measure hours and years led to examination of the sky and development of increasingly complex machines
2. The Earth And The Seas - exploration of the globe over land and sea; the discovery of New...more
The Discoverers is a history of our attempt to understand the world and our place in it. This story of science and exploration is divided into these four books:
1. Time - how attempts to measure hours and years led to examination of the sky and development of increasingly complex machines
2. The Earth And The Seas - exploration of the globe over land and sea; the discovery of New...more
This was a fascinating read. To learn what people knew or believed and see how that knowledge changed over time was very intriguing. Some chapters held my interest better than others. The medical section was particularly good and also revealed how the church and superstition were woven into the treatments of the past. Actually I was shocked at the huge negative impact of religion in almost every category even though that oppression was not the focus of the author it is a critical component o...more
This is definitely a book to review while one is reading it. Boorstin has a sense of history as an unfolding story. The book is divided into many small sections, each having its own arc of significance with a beginning, middle and end. I read it almost every morning over breakfast. Never has a history text been so fascinating to me.
July 30, 2010: Finished! After a few pages every morning for about a year. This was indeed an adventure in reading. The final discovere...more
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Good LORD it took me a long time to finish this book. Not because of the writing - Boorstin's good at relating history though clear, lively anecdotes. And it's long, but the delay was mostly because of the *size* - I have the 'deluxe illustrated edition' which is two hardback volumes filled with beautiful illustrations. I recommend this edition for the fantastic visual context it gives for the huge sweeps of history Boorstin surveys. I do not recommend this edition for its size & bulk, which i...more
I have read this twice and I really loved it. This book was the one that sparked my interest in reading more nonfiction, which I tend to do still to this day! Amazingly told tales of how the first working clock was invented, how Columbus was really lost, and many other interesting discoveries that we think we know about but that Boorstin shines a light on revealing how much we do not know. The sequel book, The Creators, I believe it's called, is just as good.
While Boorstin identifies the aspects of human culture and interaction that define us over time - our self-created myths - with extraordinary insight and impressive documentation (hey, with the Library of Congress at your feet, research is the easy part) he really misses the point on this one.
In the opening paragraphs of the very first chapter, Boorstin celebrates the destruction of the moon as time-teller, essentially invalidating the entire process of human thought and universe und...more
In the opening paragraphs of the very first chapter, Boorstin celebrates the destruction of the moon as time-teller, essentially invalidating the entire process of human thought and universe und...more
I re-read this after a hiatus of many years. This is Boorstin's exploration of "discoverers" - those who have pushed back the boundaries of the world in time or space (those who formulated the calendar, or mapped the world, discovered new trade routes, discovered the principles of mathematics or physics or biology, etc). A truly encylcopedic view of the history of discovery - well worth reading.
Facinating view of the key people whose discoveries made a significant change in the history and culture of the world. My only complaint is that it doesn't have the footnotes most works of history have, but it is well written and deserves to be read by those who appreciate the heroics of those who dare to explore beyond the conventional borders of the culture in which they live.
This is extremely entertaining for a dry historio-sociological nonfiction type book. Each chapter is quick enough for a read in the bath or before bed. While I do wish that Boorstin would include cultural trends other than just the Western tradition (how does Chinese astrology compare?), he still draws some neat conclusions that are worth consideration.
Very neat mind food.
Very neat mind food.
HHHHHHaaaaaaaaaaaaardddd to read, you have to really be into the chronology of history and extreme details. All very interesting but be in the mood for lessons and remembering critical features the author describes.
I read this a really long time ago, not sure if i would try to dive into it again, but always did want to read his other novel, the creators.
I read this a really long time ago, not sure if i would try to dive into it again, but always did want to read his other novel, the creators.
A second book by Boorstin to feed my interest in the history of ideas. His expressed idea of "the great interuption" as being apt for parts of the Middle Ages and especially how theology shaped maps for centuries was an image of the triumph of sacred belief over what proved to be the physical reality of the world evoked many reflective thoughts for me.
I was looking for a book to answer "when did people figure out stuff, how did they figure it out, how did that knowledge trickle down, and when and how?" This is that book. It's shockingly readable and engaging while also being as dry and academic as a legitimate "history of knowledge and stuff" needs to be.
A very detailed and in-depth non-fiction work which uncovers many historical facts not found in typical textbooks or other works. Someone very interested in history or simply curious about things like how did we get 12 months in a year or seven days in a week or 60 minutes in an hour will enjoy this book.
I felt the book was a little too Euro-centric, but Mr. Boorstin does give a lot of interesting information about Oriental and Islamic cultures, too. Even with the issue I take with this book, I think it an indispensable sweeping portrait of humanity, and I love that kind of book.
One of the best books I've ever read. Temendous overview mankind's discoveries. It's divided into broad categories: Time, Earth & Seas, Nature, and Society. I actually read this some 25 years ago and looking at it again, I think it's time to read it a second time.
I'm re-reading one of my favorite books. I first read this not long after it was published in paperback.
It's essentially the story of everything we know. It's not about 'history', culture or the arts. Instead it's the story of how man discovers and learns. How time works, how we came to measure it, how we discovered far away places, and why we bothered, how we observed the skies and the world around us, even the world inside our own bodies.
I know - it sounds like a bog ya...more
It's essentially the story of everything we know. It's not about 'history', culture or the arts. Instead it's the story of how man discovers and learns. How time works, how we came to measure it, how we discovered far away places, and why we bothered, how we observed the skies and the world around us, even the world inside our own bodies.
I know - it sounds like a bog ya...more
#33 THE DISCOVORIES: A History Of Man's Search To Know His World And Himself by Daniel J. Boorston. Durfee's top 50 non-fiction books countdown. Pretty much a history of everything in the world (a very thick book needless to say).
This is a book for every bookshelf; one to return to every few decade. Boorstin views history through the accomplishments/discoveries of mankind that had an impact on humanity. Not a pageturner, rather a book for contemplation.
Jeff
is currently reading it
A broad brush history of man's development.
The role of various institutions in the development of man's understanding of his world provides interesting lessons that due to man's inability to learn, we continue to repeat.
The role of various institutions in the development of man's understanding of his world provides interesting lessons that due to man's inability to learn, we continue to repeat.
I remember working my way through this tome when I was about fourteen and it was all basically new information. As I recall it's not just who thought of what, but the connections between them. Now I want to re-read it.
Can't read it through... can't put it down. Like peanuts on the table I keep them near and consume a little at a time. This book has been on my bedside and in the bathroom for reading for a long time.
A great primer for the world's great discoveries that underpin our modern world of today. It's a grand tour of world history of the great inventors and discoverers that made civilization great.
A monumental achievement. Well worth the reading. It wasn't as compellingly written as I might have liked. It took me a good while to get through it. But it's a great reference work.
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Daniel Joseph Boorstin (October 1, 1914 – February 28, 2004) was an American historian, professor, attorney, and writer. He was appointed twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1975 until 1987.
Boorstin's parents were second-generation Russian-Jewish immigrants.
Boorstin was born in 1914 in Atlanta, Georgia, where his father was a lawyer who participated in the defen...more
More about Daniel J. Boorstin...
Boorstin's parents were second-generation Russian-Jewish immigrants.
Boorstin was born in 1914 in Atlanta, Georgia, where his father was a lawyer who participated in the defen...more
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