Fan of Full Fathom Five? Be sure to check it out at its new home!

Monday, August 11, 2008

The history of science

You may be surprised at the choice of the next list: Simon Singh's favourite books on the history of science. Singh is the author of Fermat's Last Theorem, a book which I enjoyed immensely, but, to be fair, I can't relate to maritime history. To bring this on topic, Longitude by Dava Sobel makes his list at no. 6--if you haven't read it, it's very entertaining, and I highly recommend getting the illustrated edition if you're not intimately familiar with the chronometers.

Maybe I can relate this to maritime history: knowledge of maritime history is richer when one investigates the history of science. Navigation? Mathematics. Steam engines? They put the "engine" in "engineering," which requires an understanding of physics. Without the great minds behind the history of science, would these vessels have floated upon the waves?

1 comment:

WeSailFurther said...

No offense to Dava Sobel, but that book should have been capped at a long, entertaining, educational magazine article.

Good post, though.