Product Description

The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists is an invaluable one-stop reference book for anyone wanting a brief and accurate account of the life and work of those who created science from its very beginnings to the present day. This alphabetically organized, illustrated biographical dictionary has been thoroughly revised and updated, covering over 1,500 key scientists (157 more than in the previous edition) from 40 countries. Fields represented include physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, meteorology and technology, with special attention paid to pioneer women whose achievements and example opened the way to scientific careers for others. As well as Nobel Prizewinners, this second edition includes winners of the Fields Medal, the mathematician’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Illustrated with around 150 portraits, diagrams, maps and tables, and with special panel features, this book is a clear and accessible guide to the world’s prominent scientific personalities.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2336398 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

Review
‘This is a superb collection of admirably concise scientific biographies; I wish I had owned a copy when I started presenting television programmes on the history of science.’ Adam Hart-Davis

'The authors have undertaken a mammoth task to collate all this information in a desk-sized, neat dictionary. … The dictionary could function as a reference for science and hisstory alike.' Journal of Biological Education

‘Here is a treasure house of information, useful and incidental, with portraits and illustrations … The four members of the Millar family, with their expertise in different areas have done a splendid job of giving brief biographies, chosen the most important scientists, both ancient and living, and made clear and simple explanations of many scientific principles.’ Chromatographia

Customer Reviews

An excellent book for the important information.
This book was sat on the top shelf of my Physics Lab when I started teaching at my current school. One day I happened to pick it up during a lesson, and looked up Henreiette Leavitt, who had discovered the fundamental relationship between the luminosity and period of fluctuation in a Cepheid class variable star. It had just what I needed - a basic introduction to her most famous contributions to science, and details of whom she had worked with.

The book is superb for many reasons, but the fact that it encompasses all the sciences is a strong point. Many scientists normally considered physicists, for example, have often contributed to other fields - and this work often goes unnoticed. In a classroom situation, this book is a must have. It introduces a profoundly lacking human element to the subject.

Highly recommended for all Secondary School science labs, and a useful reference for the home.