Harrap's Book of Scientific Anecdotes

by Adrian Berry

What do the discovery of the coffee bean, the invention of the aqualung, the perception of the importance of the size of the moon, the conquest of smallpox, and supersonic flight all have in common? They are milestones in the history of science, a saga that began before the ancient Greeks and one that will continue for thousands of years to come.

These and other fascinating stories about the world's most important inventions and discoveries are featured in The Book of Scientific Anecdotes. This witty, informative, and highly readable collection includes more than sixty anecdotes chosen and edited by science writer Adrian Berry.

Divided into eleven sections, the book covers topics ranging from man's exploration of the world - and space - to the revolution in communications, scientific martyrs, and "bogus science." It contains a wealth of fascinating, little-known facts and information, and anecdotes about people who have played crucial roles in the progress of science. You'll learn about Lucy, the woman who lived more than three million years ago, and J.S. Haldane, the only man to have tested safety in the mines by reciting Shakespeare.

The scientific achievements of this century - relativity, quantum mechanics, nuclear power, genetic engineering, space travel, jet aircraft, desktop computers, and the beginnings of artificial intelligence - have swept away most of the predictions of the past. What do these breakthroughs mean for the twenty-first century? The Book of Scientific Anecdotes illuminates some of the inventions and discoveries that have changed the world, and the people who made them.

Genres: Science

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1993

Reviews

[Mina]

Bu kitabı okuyacaksanız edebi hiçbir beklentiniz olmamalı yazardan.Benim de yoktu, ancak %90’ının da alıntılardan oluşmasını beklemiyordum açıkçası.Yazar yalnızca derleyeceği eserleri okuyup ilintili başlıklar altında dizme emeğini göstermiş.Canı sağ olsun diyelim :/ Yine de keyifsiz bir okumaydı diyemem, mucid, kaşif öyküleri bana her zaman zevk vermiştir.Modern fizik derlemeleri son derece başarılıydı. Simit ve Peynirle Bilim İnsanı Öyküleri nostaljisi yaşamak için birebir :)

[Metin Yılmaz]

Oldukça farklı az biraz da dağınık ilerleyen bir kitap. Ama çocuklar için ilgi çekici olacağından eminim. O yüzden çocuklarınıza mutlaka okutulması gerekenler arasına koyabilirsiniz.

[Reza Zarepour]

اکثر حکایت هایی که تو این کتاب اومده ارزش خوندن ندارن واقعا

[biname]

بعضی هاش واقعا جالب بود
ولی مطلب علمی خاصی گیر نمیارید
بیشتر حکایت راجبش صدق میکنه
برای بچه هایی که میخواید به علم علاقمند شن مناسبه ولی

[Beth Hawks]

I was fascinated by some stories and not at all interested in others, so I didn't read all of this book. If I got a paragraph into a story and wasn't interested, I skimmed until the next story. Some of them are real gems, though.

[Ergi]

Mizahi anlatiminin yaninda bildigimiz bilimsel olaylarin kahramanlarinin arka planda yasadiklarini gostermek konusunda ilgi cekici bir kitap. Fakat bazi basliklarda, kitabin seviyesine uymayan veriler biraz da anlamayi zorlastiran ceviri kitabi okumayi zorlastiriyor.

[Serbes]

Bilim ve bilim tarihi açışından okuması eğlenceli ama bazen çeviri kaynaklı, bazen de yazarın konuyu toparlayamaması kaynaklı dağılıp gittiğiniz bir kitap.
Tübitak artık bu tarz kitaplar basmıyor. Keşke basılsa

[Abrar]

I love science ,but I get board reading books about science save for reading for school. This book by Adrian berry is brilliant. It is so different from other classic scientific books. I bet anyone would be interested in reading it even someone with no interest in science.

[Paul De Belder]

A bit uneven. Some interesting anecdotes, a few unexpected subjects. But also too many second/third hand stories.