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`Hamblyn's is by far the most relaxed, sunny and domesticated of these books. In an afterword, he writes that he had been surprised to discover how much attention he had paid to "the science of everyday life, from wet towels to coffee stains, via rusty nails housework, boredom, and the barcode on the back of this book". In this way, the science emerges naturally, and reflectively from our familiar world. The prevailing mood of The Art of Science is that which Italo Calvino divined in Lucretius: a lightness of touch . . . Hamblyn teaches creative writing at Birkbeck, and the literary angle adds a great deal: from passages in novels to tips on how to write popular science. Even anti-science gets a look in, at its most extreme in DH Lawrence's notorious rant: "The Universe is dead for us ... knowledge has killed the sun ..." On the last page, Hamblyn quotes Richard Feynman's riposte to this all-too-prevalent attitude: science "only adds. I don't see how it subtracts". And Hamblyn's book adds enormously to the pleasure that there is in science.'
--Saturday's Guardian
'Hamblyn... showcases not only readable translations of key scientific ideas but situates those ideas in their cultural and historical context. The hundred-odd pieces selected either reflect the situation in which a moment of scientific understanding took place or reveal the personalities of the scientists involved.'
--Independent
`Hamblyn . . . showcases not only readable translations of key scientific ideas but situates those ideas in their cultural and historical context . . . the strength of the collection lies in the surprises from among the contributions made by amateurs.' --Independent
--Saturday's Guardian
'Hamblyn... showcases not only readable translations of key scientific ideas but situates those ideas in their cultural and historical context. The hundred-odd pieces selected either reflect the situation in which a moment of scientific understanding took place or reveal the personalities of the scientists involved.'
--Independent
`Hamblyn . . . showcases not only readable translations of key scientific ideas but situates those ideas in their cultural and historical context . . . the strength of the collection lies in the surprises from among the contributions made by amateurs.' --Independent
Product Description
What these extracts are, first and foremost, are stories of discovery . . .
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Richard Hamblyn's deceptively scholarly book is a source book spreading knowledge that can be read and digested in easy bites.
The case that science is an art is built up over nearly five hundred pages with every piece proving its worth as an example of crystal clear writing while being a model for any scientist about to break into print.
Perhaps another anthology would have a different selection of writings: but it would be difficult for it to match the wide spread of subjects and authors in Hamblyn's choice. He has done this while insisting that the science is readable and rigorous and original at its time.His introductions to each section follow in the same pattern.
The Art of Science puts Lady Mary Montague between the same sheets as Voltaire,while Planck and Einstein are together under the covers with Marie Stopes. This may cause the reader a short diversionary fantasy on the conversations or the activities that they might have shared, but the effect is to show the universality of science and scientists and the democratic nature of thought. It is a splendid book.
Senex.
The case that science is an art is built up over nearly five hundred pages with every piece proving its worth as an example of crystal clear writing while being a model for any scientist about to break into print.
Perhaps another anthology would have a different selection of writings: but it would be difficult for it to match the wide spread of subjects and authors in Hamblyn's choice. He has done this while insisting that the science is readable and rigorous and original at its time.His introductions to each section follow in the same pattern.
The Art of Science puts Lady Mary Montague between the same sheets as Voltaire,while Planck and Einstein are together under the covers with Marie Stopes. This may cause the reader a short diversionary fantasy on the conversations or the activities that they might have shared, but the effect is to show the universality of science and scientists and the democratic nature of thought. It is a splendid book.
Senex.
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