A Review
An interesting book - written for the knowledgeable reader, this history of physics assumes a great deal of prior knowledge as the moves from the study of physics as evidenced by the ancient Greeks into the early Christian Era, ending up in the modern era. The writer writes as if the reader will know the main (and some not so main) players in that history, dropping names and events that might be well-known to the physics student, but less so to the average lay reader.
This becomes less of a problem as the book moves slowly into the medieval and modern eras as names that have become famous during the development of the atomic bomb or other intriguing scientific discoveries move into the discussion.
Though interesting, these assumptions occasionally make the book difficult to follow - even for this scientifically knowledgeable reader. The book would be a good text or ancillary text for a graduate history of science course. I would have a difficult time recommending it for the typical college graduate without having an undergraduate degree in the sciences.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
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