Ferguson has really done a tremendous job researching her subjects and bringing them to life, including enough detail to make things very vivid without overwhelming the reader, and putting everything into context by explaining the focal scientist’s contemporaries, political environment, other interests, and so on. These aren’t dry listings of historical facts; instead, they’re entertaining and enthralling true-but-almost-unbelievable tales that drew me in and carried me away.
Title: Lost Science – Astonishing Tales of Forgotten Genius
Author: Kitty Ferguson
Publisher: Sterling
Publication Date: 2017
Origin/Intention: I just wanted to learn about some interesting and little-known scientists (and the associated science). The more you know, right?
Summary: Lost Science is a collection of biographical tales, each of which focuses on one scientist, touching on the scientist’s life, research, contemporaries, lasting impact, and reasons for his or her relative obscurity.
Part I, Ripping Yarns, is about “outrageously adventurous tales, riveting because the colorful people in the are irrepressible risk-takers, spies, scoundrels, and heroes”:
Part II, In the Shadows, “features people who were essential to major advances but failed to receive the credit they deserved, who are lost in the shadows of celebrated colleagues – or, more curiously, lost in their own shadows”:
Part III, Forgotten Firsts, “is about achievements, discoveries, and lines of discovery that many of us might recognize while having no idea who actually got their first“:
- Johannes Kepler
- Milutin Milanković
- Barry Sterman
My Take: Lost Science was an absolute delight to read: the subject matter is interesting, the storytelling is top-notch, and the collection as a whole is a wonderful assortment of characters.
Ferguson has really done a tremendous job researching her subjects and bringing them to life, including enough detail to make things very vivid without overwhelming the reader, and putting everything into context by explaining the focal scientist’s contemporaries, political environment, other interests, and so on.
These aren’t dry listings of historical facts; instead, they’re entertaining and enthralling true-but-almost-unbelievable tales that drew me in and carried me away.
Would it be too much to ask for a Volume 2???
Read This Book If: …You like science, history, or amazing biographies, whether alone or in some combination.
Lee Brooks is the founder of Cromulent Marketing, a boutique marketing agency specializing in crafting messaging, creating content, and managing public relations for B2B technology companies.
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