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The Glass Bathyscaphe: How Glass Changed the World
 
 

The Glass Bathyscaphe: How Glass Changed the World (Paperback)

by Alan MacFarlane (Author), Gerry Martin (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 270 pages
  • Publisher: Profile Books Ltd; New edition edition (5 Jun 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1861973942
  • ISBN-13: 978-1861973948
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 359,235 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #10 in  Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Chemical > Industrial Chemistry > Ceramics & Glass
    #10 in  Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Mechanical & Materials Engineering > Ceramics

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Glass Bathyscaphe asks what was the crucial difference between oriental and occidental societies in the late middle ages and Renaissance that meant that those in the west developed modern scientific method and those in the east did not? What was the single most important substance behind the startling technological advances of the last two hundred years? Some might be tempted to answer, "Iron and Steel", to the second question but, according to MacFarlane and Martin, in their unusual book, the answer to both questions should be, "Glass". Through its use in telescopes and microscopes, barometers, thermometers and scientific instruments, medical and photographic equipment, glass made us feel differently about ourselves and the world.

The danger in a book like this, which concentrates on one substance and its cultural significance, is that the authors could have sounded like monomaniacs, ascribing just about every advance in human knowledge to the wonders of glass. MacFarlane and Martin are aware of this danger and they acknowledge the enormous complexity of the forces that created the modern world. Their argument is subtle and sophisticated but they are in no doubt that glass has never been given the central place it deserves. Ironically, given its subject, The Glass Bathyscaphe has a slightly opaque title (how many know, without consulting a dictionary, what a bathyscaphe is?) but, for a short book, it is a very challenging one, asking us to look anew at the whole history of science and technology.--Nick Rennison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



Review

'A stimulating read that will make you think about the material world in a new way' - Julian Henderson, New Scientist 'Fascinating...a riveting story...the authors' explanations are wide-ranging and ingenious ...presented with energy and insight. By piecing together "the shattered history of this extraordinary substance" Macfarlane and Martin have made a valuable contribution to the wider social history of technology' - Richard Hamblyn, Sunday Times

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The world in vitro, 21 Jul 2002
By D. M. Kalman "Dr. D. M. Kalman" (Manchester UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
After hearing the author of this remarkable book interviewed on Radio 4's Start the Week, I rushed to get a copy, and I have not been disapointed. The book describes the role which glass has played in the advancement of Man and civilization. It demonstrates the remarkable effect of NOT using glass as it was used in the West had on the worlds of Islam and the Orient. My only criticism is the author's style--what he has to say is exciting and very interesting, but much of the spark of his message is hidden in verbosity, he could certainly have come to the point much quicker and with more impact--perhaps he feared that the book would be too short! Robert Temple's excellent book, THE CRYSTAL SUN deals with the development and use of lenses in antiquity in a more complete manner.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating!, 15 Aug 2006
This book stands head and shoulders above the many "material histories" that have appeared over the last few years (e.g. salt; fish; spices): it overflows with fresh insights, original ideas, and interesting objects for speculation. Don't miss it!

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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, 28 Dec 2003
By A Customer
There's a lot of promise in this book, not to mention a fairly bold set of hypotheses about how glass has been central not only to the evolution of Western science, but also to Western consciousness generally. However, the promise is not fulfilled. There's a number of big holes and problems with the argument - for example, given the claims about myopia in China, how can we account for the success of Chinese astronomy? Granted, Europeans were more accurate, but the fact that there was such a science in 17th-century China belies a big problem with the argument.
There's also a few problems with the way the book's written. The account of how glass is made - why it occurred to anyone to add lead, say - is cursory: this is annoying in a book that is about glass. And there's a whole stack of typographical and grammatical errors, which is pretty unforgivable.
Finally, as far as I can tell, the word "bathyscaphe" appears nowhere except in the title. If it was that word that intrigued you in the first place, you're better off just looking in a dictionary.
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4.0 out of 5 stars a book to dip into
I've not read all of this book yet - I find it hard going if I try to read it from front to back, but opening it at random always finds something to think about.
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by J

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