Book Review: The Story Of Science by Susan Wise Bauer

Hardback by WW Norton & Company,  £16.99 (ebook £9.49)

Science is everywhere. But the science most of us encounter in our
everyday lives – in newspaper reports and political rhetoric, for
instance – bears very little resemblance to the real thing, and says
very little of the theory, meaning and importance (or lack thereof)
behind it.

That’s where Susan Wise Bauer’s The Story Of Science comes
in – it’s not a ‘history of science’, she points out, but major steps
and milestones are plotted in their relative historical context, with
extracts from the works of the science greats themselves, alongside
Bauer’s narrative in the same engaging and amusing style that made her bestselling History Of The World series so popular.

Again, if her mission was to make an often out-of-reach subject accessible and -while science arguably is always relevant – feel more relevant, because you’ve gained an appreciation for the motivation, challenges and significance behind it, as well as its joys and quirks and brilliance, she’s done a great job.