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The Discoverers (1983)
Front Cover Book Details
Genre Non-Fiction
Subject Civilization - History; Discoveries in geography; Science - History
Publication Date 10/12/1983
Format Hardcover
Publisher Random House
Extras Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover
Description
An original history of man's greatest adventure: his search to discover the world around him.

From the Trade Paperback edition.
Personal Details
Condition Fine/Fine
Rating 0
Links Library of Congress
Product Details
LoC Classification CB69 .B66 1985
Dewey 909
ISBN 0394402294
Cover Price $47.95
No. of Pages 768
First Edition No
Rare No
Notes/Review
I bought this book shortly after it was originally published, on one of the several occasions when I joined a book-of-the-month club. It sat on the shelf unread for three or four years before I took a stab at it. Somewhere around page 50 or 60 I lost interest. Finally, 30+ years later, I gave it another try. I should have stuck with it the first time.

As the title states, it is a history of discovery. It's really a bunch of short stories, mostly six to ten pages each. We learn about the development of calendars and clocks, maps of the earth and sky, the development of the printing press and anatomy, the classification of plants and animals, and even economics.

I think it's a great survey of how mankind came to know its surroundings. I knew much of what is already here, but mostly in isolation. This book does a decent job of tying it all together, taking the threads of learning and weaving a tapestry. It's a great jumping off point for further study. We get little biographies of dozens of explorers and scientists and short descriptions of what they learned and how they learned it.

There are a few shortcomings, in my opinion. Physics and chemistry are given short shrift. And although in many places (astronomy, calendars, printing) developments in Europe are compared to those in China and Japan, there's really nothing about the New World. Obviously, indigenous Americans didn't go on voyages of discovery or scientific experimentation, but they did develop calendars and this isn't mentioned at all.

I wasn't aware until now that this is the first of a trilogy. I'm assuming these will be heavily weighted toward the West, but I'm sure they'll be good introductions to dozens more interesting historical figures.