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

"Yale’s youngster-friendly Little History series continues with science from Babylonian astronomy to the Higgs boson particle in a series of lucid short chapters on telescopes, gases, engines, plantetary orbits, cells, magnetism, pneumatic chemistry, continental drift, and so forth . . .  [Bynum] takes a sly pleasure in pointing out that famous scientists have been deeply religious, and shows a gentle, tolerant humour throughout."—Steven Poole, The Guardian

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

"A super-accessible introduction to science."—Booklist

"Bynum’s lively narrative . . . certainly delivers on his opening line: 'Science is special.'"—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A wonderful book to keep on the shelf and revisit over time."—PopMatters

"The book is a noble enterprise, an attempt to pull it all together."—David H. Galaty, The Historian

"I wish there had been such a book when I was a child. Bill Bynum's Little History of Science may be short but it tells a grand story: all of science lightly placed in ever-changing historical and philosophical contexts, but presented in a single arc from Empedocles to Tim Berners-Lee, Galen to Thomas Hunt Morgan, alchemy to insulin, the steam engine to the particle accelerator. It is a book I will be recommending for many years to come."—Christopher Potter, author of You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe

"Well done Bill Bynum, a master of the scientific ordinance from the Big Bang to the Digital Age."—David Bellamy

"Science is not a dry recitation of data; it's thousands of years of questions that people have posed about the universe. In A Little History of Science, William Bynum ably distills this human saga into a delightfully clear tale. It may be little, but it manages to find room for galaxies, computers, chemistry, evolution and much more."—Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of Viruses

"Small, but perfectly formed. In this little history, Bill Bynum has done a splendid job of weaving all the material into a narrative that is easy to understand. You will not find a better summary of the history of science."—Bernard Wood, author of Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction