An list books and resources which have been used to research the Complete History of Science. The list is incomplete, especially for series 1-5, but will grow as I continue to update. Filter by topic or search for something specific.
39 items
James Evans
The best book on ancient astronomy. Covers the full breadth of ancient astronomy in detail. Very hard going mathematically but nevertheless masterful.
Vivian Nutton
Thorough guide to ancient (western) medicine. Readable and occasionally even funny. Highly recommended.
Vivian Nutton
The best biography of Galen by the world expert in ancient Greek and Roman medicine. Complete overview of his life and achievments in context of ancient medicine.
Susan Mattern
Nice general introduction focussing on Galen's life. Very enjoyable read.
Alan Hirshfeld
Fine introduction to the life and work of Archimedes. Thorough account of life and work but lacks historical context.
Various
Essays of mixed quality covering most aspects of ancient science. Too much emphasis on obscure/arcane subject matter.
Various
The best of the Cambridge series, unsurprisingly edited by the great David Lindberg. Better choice of topics and more readable than other entries.
Various
Subjects chosen too broadly and not enough detail on scientific developments. The worst of the series.
Lois N. Magner
Good overview of development of medicine from ancient to early modern
David Lindberg
The best introduction to science in the ancient world. Technically a textbook but engrossing and highly readable. A must read.
C.M. Linton
Good guide to mathematical astronomy through the ages. Lacks depth in favour of breadth. Only for those who want an introduction to techical models of astronomy.
Various
Great achivement in gathering together all the latest understanding of the golden age of Islamic science. Likely too techical and dry for the general reader but the best reference work I know on the topic.
John Freely
Good introduction to Islamic golden age written in John Freely's characteristic style. Mostly accurate but lacks much context.
Violet Muller
Nice overview of the history of the passage of ancient texts to the early modern world.
Richard C Dales
Overview of intellectual life in Europe between fall of Rome and middle ages. Not expressely scientific.
Edward Grant
Nice overview on development of scientific thought in middle ages.
Ernst Zimmer
Excellent biography with incredible depth (the single source used for Regiomontanus episode). Surprisingly readable for a 50 year book written in translation. Difficult to find in print.
Dava Sobel
Excellent biography of Copernicus's life. Little techical depth but provides vivid and sympathetic account of his life. Also includes play written by author about Copernicus's life which I found very moving. Recommended.
Owen Gingrich
Fine introduction to Copernicus's life and work from the great scholar. Nice balance of biography and technical detail. Highly recommended.
A.C. CroMby
Thorough overview of medieval scientific thought with plenty of detail.
Nancy Marie Brown
Fine biography of the most scientific of Popes!
James Hannam
Nice biographical take on the important men of science in the middle ages. Very readable.
Brian Clegg
Shallow biography, anachronistically determined to frame Roger Bacon as a scientist.
Max Caspar
Definitive biography of Kepler's life though (understandably) short on scientific detail. Translated from German in florid style, tough to read.
Bruce Stephenson
Detailed decription of Kepler's physical and mathematical astronomy. Mathematical - tough going.
Rhonda Martens
Similar to Bruce Stephenson's book, with more focus on New Astronomy. Also very tough to read.
James Vokel
Like Stephenson and Martens books but less mathematical. Still definitely not a leisurely read!
Kitty Ferguson
Ambitious attempt at double biography, can be fun and just enough details to hold attention.
Arthur Koestler
Iconic biography of the great man. Very dated now and shallow in places. Fun if you don't take everything Koestler says as gospel.
Victor E. Thoren
One of the most definitive biographies of any individual I have ever read. Virtually all research on Tycho came from this book. Surprisingly readable for such a dense book.
A. Mark Smith
Definitive overview building on work of Lindberg to bring up to date with modern research. Sometimes hard to follow.
David Lindberg
Dated if foundational book on history of optics up to Kepler.
Andrew Cunningham
Nice monograph on Aristotle's influence on William Harvey - convincingly argued.
Thomas Wright
Good biography of life of William Harvey. Readable and fun, good balance with details of his achievements.
C.D. O'Malley
Definitive biography of life and work of Vesalius. Other works may be more readable but are all derivative of this book.
Stephen N. Joffe
Biography - derivative of O'Malley.
James R. Voelkel
Another excellent addition to Oxford Portraits in Science series. Great place to start with Kepler.
Gerald Rottman
Excellent work on Kepler's lens optics. Not widely published and mostly overlooked.
Bill Bryson
The book that first sparked my interest in the History of Science. Podcast wouldn't exist without it. Legendary, please buy it for your kids!