Seeing Further: The Story of Science, Discovery, and the Genius of the Royal Society »

With a wacky worldview -- and wanderlust -- that garners him comparisons to everyone from Chaucer to Dave Barry, Bill Bryson entertains readers around the world with his travelogues and riffs on the intricacies of language.

Edited and introduced by Bill Bryson, with original contributions from "a glittering array of scientific writing talent" (Sunday Observer) including Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, Richard Holmes, Martin Rees, Richard Fortey, Steve Jones, James Gleick, and Neal Stephenson, among others, this incomparable book tells the spectacular story of science and the international Royal Society, from 1660 to the present. Seeing Further is also gorgeously illustrated with photographs, documents, and treasures from the Society's exclusive archives.

On a damp weeknight in November three hundred and fifty years ago, a dozen men gathered in London. After hearing an obscure twenty-eight-year-old named Christopher Wren lecture on the wonders of astronomy, his rapt audience was moved to create a society to promote the accumulation of useful—and fascinating—knowledge. At that, the Royal Society was born, and with it, modern science.

Since then, the Royal Society has pioneered global scientific exploration and discovery. Its members have split the atom, discovered the double helix and the electron, and given us the computer and the World Wide Web. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, John Locke, Alexander Fleming, Stephen Hawking—all have been fellows. Bill Bryson's favorite fellow is the Reverend Thomas Bayes, a brilliant mathematician who devised Bayes' theorem. Its complexity meant that it had little practical use in Bayes' own lifetime, but today his theorem is used for weather forecasting, astrophysics, and even stock-market analysis. A milestone in mathematical history, it exists only because the Royal Society decided to preserve it—just in case.

Truly global in its outlook, the Royal Society now is credited with creating modern science. Seeing Further is an unprecedented celebration of its history and the power of ideas, bringing together the very best of science writing.

Publishers Weekly

Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything) presents a remarkable collection of essays celebrating the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Society of London and its many contributions to science. Society members have included such illustrious names as Darwin, Newton, Leibniz, and Francis Bacon, to name a few. The volume's 23 contributors are both uniformly excellent and remarkable for their diversity. For example, novelist Margaret Atwood writes a very personal piece about the image of the scientist and its sometime appearance as the "mad scientist." Science historian Paul Davies writes about the effects on Western society of the realization that we are not the center of the universe. Biologist Richard Dawkins opines about the revolutionary nature of Darwin's discoveries, and science fiction writer Gregory Benford contemplates the meaning of time. The wide array of scientific disciplines, including genetics, climate change, physics, and engineering, are each placed in a fresh and thought-provoking social and historical context. Bryson's name will bring readers in, but the real reward is fine writers writing about serious science in an accessible, good-natured style. It is a worthy celebration of the Royal Society. Color illus. (Nov.)

Introduction & Acknowledgments Bill Bryson Bryson, Bill 1

1 At the Beginning: More Things in Heaven and Earth James Gleick Gleick, James 17

2 Of The Madness of Mad Scientists: Jonathan Swift's Grand Academy Margaret Atwood Atwood, Margaret 37

3 Lost in Space: The Spititual Crisis of Newtonian Cosmology Margaret Wertheim Wertheim, Margaret 59

4 Atoms of Congnition: Metaphysics in the Royal Society. 1715-2010 Neal Stephenson Stephenson, Neal 83

5 What's in a Name? Rivalries and the Birth of Modern Science Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Goldstein, Rebecca Newberger 107

6 Charged Atmospheres: Promethean Science and the Royal Society Simon Schaffer Schaffer, Simon 131

7 A New Age of Flight: Joseph Banks Goes Ballooning Richard Holmes Holmes, Richard 157

8 Archives of Life: Science And Collections Richard Fortey Fortey, Richard 183

9 Darwin's Five Bridges: The Way to Natural Selection Richard Dawkins Dawkins, Richard 203

10 Images of Progress: Conferences of Engineers Henry Petroski Petroski, Henry 229

11 X-Ray Visions: Structural Biologists and Social Action in the Twentieth Century Georgina Ferry Ferry, Georgina 251

12 Ten Thousand Wedges: Biodiversity, Natural Selection and Random Change Steve Jones Jones, Steve 273

13 Making Stuff: From Bacon to Bakelite Philip Ball Ball, Philip 295

14 Just Typical: Our Changing Place in the Universe Paul Davies Davies, Paul 321

15 Behind The Scenes: The Hidden Mathematics That Rules Our World Ian Stewart Stewart, Ian 341

16 Simple Really: From Simplicity to Complexity-and Back Again John D. Barrow Barrow, John D. 361

17 Globe And Sphere Cycles and Flows: How to See The World Oliver Morton Morton, Oliver 385

18 Beyond Ending: Looking Into The Void Maggie Gee Gee, Maggie 405

19 Confidence, Consensus and The Uncertainty Cops: Tackling Risk Management in Climate Change Stephen H. Schneider Schneider, Stephen H. 425

20 Time: The Winged Chariot Gregory Benford Benford, Gregory 445

Conclusion: Looking Fifty Years Ahead Martin Rees Rees, Martin 467

Further Reading 486

List of Illustrations 490

Index 491