ASIMOV'S BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY --- THE LIVING STORIES
OF MORE THAN 1000 GREAT SCIENTISTS FROM THE AGE OF GREECE TO THE SPACE AGE by Isaac Asimov. Doubleday, 1964
    HOW TO USE THIS BOOK (p1-18)

      The biographical entries are arranged in chronological order, not alphabetical. They are also numbered, but not always in sequence of time.

      In the case of about half the scientists (500 or so) they are not listed in strictly chronological order, but in a subsidiary fashion under other scientists in connection with whom their ideas may best be understood. This special numbering system is more significant than strict page numbers since it is the individual biography rather than the page number that should be the unit of reference. Also special index page numbers connect the main biography (bold) with the biographies referred to in the other numbers listed.

      In the body of each biography, the inserted numbers refer to numerous cross references to other biographies that have a special relationship. This book is organized with a complex skein of references because science itself is a complex skein or web of intricately interknotted ideas and subjects that we must link together in a whole structure in order to appreciate the entire significance of the contribution of science to our human culture.

    PREFACE

      Even though there are many books about the history of science, this one is organized in a unique way to show the panorama of scientific ideas and their interactions. There are three basic reasons for the structure of the book:

        [1] First, in this book the history of science is told through biographies. The scientific contribution of each person is emphasized and his or her relationship to other great scientific ideas is documented.

        [2] There is no attempt to divide the sciences into separate categories with subheadings for branches or chapters. The sense of panorama would be lost by separating scientific ideas into artificial academic distinctions and labels. When connecting scientific biographies, the interactions among the factual ideas can best be seen.

        [3] Since foundations of thought are extremely important, it is essential to understand the foundations of modern science were laid in the days of ancient Greece during the five centuries from 600 B.C. to 100 B.C. and in early modern times from A.D. 1600 to A.D. 1800. These periods are often emphasized in other history of science books. However, since the period after 1800, and, particularly, after 1900, has produced such a great increase in the complexity of science and the rate of growth of science, all aspects of the recent history of science cannot be included in this book.

        Nevertheless, the structure of this book permits the complexity of ideas to be emphasized without making them overly sketchy as is usually done in most other books on the subect of science history.

      This book is divided into FOUR QUARTERS:

        600 B.C. to A.D. 1800 = 1st Quarter (2400 years)

        1800-1875 A.D. = 2nd Quarter (75 years)

        1875-1920 A.D. = 3rd Quarter (45 years)

        1920-1964 A.D. = 4th Quarter (43 years)

    # 1 --- IMHOTEP (Egyptian Scholar) Flourished about 2980-2950 B.C. (p1)

    # 539 --- JOHN GLEN (American Astronaut and U.S. Congressman) born July 18, 1921 and still living (p625)

    INDEX (p626-661)

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR (p662)

      Isaac Asimov (AH-zih-mof) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and biochemist who was a highly successful and an exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and his popular science books. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series, which was part of one of his two major series, the Galactic Empire Series, which was later merged with his other famous Robot series stories. He also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as a great amount of non-fiction.

      Asimov wrote or edited over 500 volumes and an estimated 90,000 letters or postcards! Asimov has works in every major category of the Dewey Decimal Library Classification System except Philosophy.

      Asimov was born in Petrovichi, USSR, on January 2, 1920. He was selected as Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association and became their leading promoter until his death on April 6, 1992. By general consensus he was a master of the science-fiction genre and one of the "Big-Three" living science fiction writers of his time.

        QUOTATION of ASIMOV = "Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers."
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