Home Authors
Books
Subjects
Events
Software
Features
Links
Newsletter
Gifts
Blog
Write
Review What's NewHome Authors
Books
Subjects
Events
Software
Features
Links
Newsletter
Gifts
Blog
Write
Review What's New
|
BOOK REVIEWS AUTHORS
STUFF NEWS
Are you: Click on the relevant link above to find out how we can help you.
|
Whisper it: science can be dull. But it doesn't have to be. Celebrate the best that science writing has to offer on a site totally dedicated to popular science books and authors. What made Johnny Ball and Ian Stewart interested in maths? Why did Simon Singh write about alternative medicine? What's next for Ben Goldacre, Marcus Chown and Brian Clegg? Check out our short, snappy four way interviews. Want to keep up to date? It's easy to sign up for our free newsletter - free, informative and always readable.
Privacy Information Sponsor us without paying a penny Use any link from this site to Amazon (you don't have to buy the item the link is for) - or one of these links: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. Amazon will give us a small contribution at no charge to you. Featured Book A Grand and Bold Thing by Ann Finkbeiner 
Over the summer I tend to cut back on reading popular science so I can come back to the reviewing refreshed - and what a refreshing book to come back with. Ann Finkbeiner's account of the making of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey was wonderful - without doubt the best popular science book I've read so far in 2010. It tells the story of the establishment of a scientific project - the mapping of a whole large section of sky in detail, providing digital information that would allow for pretty pictures like Google Sky, but more of interest to the scientists involved would enable comparison of galaxies, quasars, stars and more across a swathe of sky using digital data that including vast amounts of spectrographic analysis, images using different coloured filters and more. In effect, with the results of the survey - freely available to anyone - it's possible for astronomers to work statistically, to make the sort of comparisons that 'real' scientists can do with repeated experiments, but has not been possible for astronomy before. As well as providing information that was expected, the Sloan was soon also making revelations that were never dreamed of when the survey was conceived. An astronomer could spend her entire career mining knowledge from the Sloan data without ever going near a telescope. Purists may wince at this - but in terms of our knowledge of the universe it is amazing. However, as Finkbeiner shows us with excellent portraits of the people and processes involved, this huge success of a scientific project was no easy ride. There were difficult personalities and technical disasters. Mirrors cracked, one of the two telescopes proved totally unsuitable for the job (luckily they found a replacement in an existing telescope that wasn't doing much as it was in a city and practically useless). To the outside observer who has any experience of project management is, frankly amateurism when it comes to getting the project together. There were lots of technical experts who knew exactly what they wanted - but no one making sure things happened at the right place in the right order to succeed. It's a dramatic story of a project that could easily have been cancelled, of remarkable feats of technology and ingenuity - and of the drive that makes people want to observe the universe. Finkbeiner really puts us in the heart of it. We live the experience with those astronomers and technicians. It's a beautifully crafted book from an author who really knows how to tell a story. Just three small gripes. Finkbeiner tends to switch between the past and present tense too often, sometimes mid-paragraph, and this can read a little oddly. The last couple of chapters seem a little rushed. They've done what they set out to do, now we'll wrap it up - it feels slightly anti-climactic. And there are no pictures - none at all. I know what a pain it is to get illustrations together (and the poor author usually has to pay for them), but it seemed strange in a book so focussed on people and on producing images of the sky that we didn't have photos of those people, the telescope or any of the output of the survey. But these are minor niggles indeed. This is a brilliant book that captures the reality of getting a scientific project together. It's hugely readable and highly recommended. Read an interview with author Ann Finkbeiner about the book Only in hardback Review by Brian Clegg Featured Children's book Science Detectives
by Mike Goldsmith
Although from OUP, this is very much in the style of a Dorling Kindersley book, with two page spreads, highly illustrated and well designed in full colour. Although the book breaks the pattern with three big names (Galileo, Newton and Einstein who get four pages each) and in the introductory sections, the effect is very much a series of detached descriptions of individuals rather than a continuous read (not that this is a huge disadvantage - the book works well). The idea is to uncover the history of science through the 'science detectives' the individuals who have moved science on, and who illustrate the scientific method through their work. Divided into sections on the birth, rise, power, triumph and revolutions of science, with a final ragbag of 'a new world' with science at its heart, the introductions to the individual scientists work well. They are pitched at the right level, have strong illustrations and pack in enough facts and factoids to give a good background to the significance of each individual. The oddest thing about the book is the way it treats mathematics. This is labelled up front as one of the four great sciences, but apart from Archimedes (mostly in there for his science and engineering) there isn't a single truly maths-based entry. I suppose with some early maths it's the difficulty of having a person-based structure. There should, for example, have been a page on the Indian origins of the use of zero - but with no individual to pin it to, it presents a problem. The book perpetuates the myth that there was no science between the Greeks and the renaissance apart from a touch of Arabic work (I wouldn't personally have chosen Avicenna as the only Arab scientist, but hey) - I was disappointed that Roger Bacon didn't get an entry. There are inevitably one or two other questions of balance. The Maxwell entry, for instance, only passingly mentions the significance of his electromagnetic work on understanding light (apart from anything else, the fundamental foundation of Einstein's special relativity), which is odd. I also found it strange that Pauling, Hawking and Berners Lee make it in, but not Feynman - this is bizarre. But any 'best of' list is bound to start arguments. The only other slight problem I had is that the 'science detective' metaphor of the title, which sounds quite strong, isn't followed in the book, which just talks about the individuals and what they discovered. It would have been nice to have seen more about the scientific method, using the detective theme, coming through in these individual pages. However it remains a good overview of the development of science through the lives of some key individuals along the way. It looks good and should go down well with the audience. Only in paperback Reviewed by Brian Clegg * Our age range recommendation is an estimated guide, but individual readers outside the range could still enjoy the book! Featured Gifts Looking for a different present, or a gift for someone who's difficult to buy for? Take a look at this:
Gift review -
Stargazer's Almanac 2011
If your idea of an almanac is a thick old book full of folk wisdom ('If ye plant in October, your crops will fall over'), phases of the moon and tide times, you'll only get one thing right about this almanac - it does contain phases of the moon. But the Stargazer's Almanac is much more. The format is one of a large month-by-month calendar, but instead of having spaces to write in when you take the dog to the vets, the children to the cinema or vice versa, it has two big spreads of the horizon, looking North and looking South on the 15th of the month at 10pm GMT from a UK viewpoint. With this in hand you should be able to explore the night sky and sort out Andromeda from Perseus. As well as constellations it shows the positions of planets, points out interesting stars, and, yes, shows the phase of the moon through the month. As well as the charts there are a number of pages covering various topics from skyglow and sunspots. I really felt that with this in hand I could find my way around the sky as I never have before. I can spot a couple of constellations and three planets, but with the help of the almanac, much more of the sky opens up. I was slightly disappointed with the production values - it's not particularly cheap, but the paper is quite dull in appearance (probably very green). And there could have been more help on what you do if it's not 10pm on the 15th of the month, though to be fair there is a bit of guidance, but more handholding would have been appreciated. As it is, though, this is a really valuable asset to the amateur astronomer and a good gift for anyone with even the slightest interest in the stars. Only in paperback Review by Brian Clegg Popular Science covers the best books on science and technology. Whether it’s the story behind pure scientific endeavour or the basis of technical developments that have made everything from iPods to lcd tvs possible, we review science writing at its best. Popular Science reviews books, children’s books and gifts for those difficult-to-buy-for people.
|
Featured author/ editor of the Popular Science site: Brian Clegg
Click here for 2010 information on the world's most prestigious science book prize.
Previous results:
Need a feed? Our latest reviews, features and events are highlighted in an RSS newsfeed. Interested in children's books? We've a feed for that too: Not sure what this all about? Find out more about RSS and our feed. The future of reading? Find out more about the Kindle ebook reader:
Any queries or comments? Contact us by clicking here.
|
DISCLAIMERS
This site has no connection with Popular Science magazine or other sites and publications with a similar name.
Much of the content of this site is written by popular science writers or friends of popular science writers. Inevitably many of the reviews in such a small community are written by or about someone we know. We always aim to be impartial in our reviews, but there is a connection which we need make clear, as there is no intention to deceive. The content of any review or article is solely the opinion of the author and should not be read or understood on any other basis. The site exists to promote popular science writing and popular science authors and for this reason should be considered promotional material, just as the editorial reviews in an online bookshop or the blurb on the back of a book should be considered promotional.
The website should not be eaten or used where it can come into contact with water.
Contact us at info@ popularscience.co.uk - have your say!
Part of the
site
Copyright © Creativity
Unleashed Limited 2005
Last update 24 February 2007
Creativity Unleashed Limited Registered in Wales No 3064978 Registered address – 2 Church Street, Burnham, Bucks. SL1 7HZ
age range 9-12 *
%20head%20and%20shoulders.jpg)
