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The Discoverers (平装)
by Daniel J. Boorstin
| Category:
History |
| Market price: ¥ 208.00
MSL price:
¥ 198.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A demanding, vast, heavyweight of a book is what this is - a remarkable narrative of the grand intellectual venture of humankind, rich in fascinating, dramatic details. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Julie Hauer (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
I was very lucky to have Daniel Boorstin's "The Discoverers" assigned as a textbook for an undergraduate class I took back in the spring of 1988 on European Expansion and Colonization from 1450-1750. Ordinarily, history textbooks are a bit dry. I enjoyed reading them enough to end up only one class short of a double major in History, but this one stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
For a change, the text completely held my attention. Instead of only reading the assigned portions, I read the entire book. Upon discussing this with my classmates, I learned that each of them had done the same.
Perhaps my memory is tainted because this was an overall fun class where we studied actual sailable scale models of caravels built using the actual techniques of the time. But, I recently finished re-reading the book and it was just as much fun the eighth or ninth time around. I've read it so many times that I've lost count.
The two sections that I've always found riveting are the discovery of longitude and Captain Cook muddling around Antarctica. This book is just wonderful. I only wish that the sequel, "The Creators", was just as good. I found that one to be a bit rambling. |
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Luciano Lupini (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
A truly wonderful book. One that should be used as a textbook in History in high school. Easily readable, it takes the reader on a voyage of far reaching proportions. What is it that makes this book so pleasurable and instructive? A fresh approach to the evolution of knowledge and science as experienced historically by the pioneers. The exploration in retrospective of the discovery of the concept of time and the clock, the compass, the telescope, the microscope and the evolutionary description of the knowledge that mankind acquired through these instruments and the bold steps of the pioneers that wondered around the seas, the cosmos, the mind, etc.. Why is it that modern culture, the different cultures and science are the way they are ? You will find a lot of answers about how this came to happen in the book by the former Librarian of Congress and senior historian of the Smithsonian Institution.
After I read this book, the promise made in the Washington Post Book World's review to it, I found fulfilled: "few indeed will be the readers who do not themselves become discoverers..." This book is one of the most outstanding discoveries that I made in my quest for knowledge. You must not overlook it. |
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Fred Schultz (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
Daniel Boorstin's Discoverers is a delight to read. Its sweeping theme is humanity's discovery of the natural and social world we inhabit. There are major sections that deal with the discovery of the calendar and the invention of the clock; the geographical discoveries of the 15th to 18th centuries; the natural world of astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology; and the social world of historiography and economics. An approach of this sort can't help but be anecdotal which might offend the sensibilities of many professional historians. Yet, for educated laymen (and those historians who recognize the importance of well written synthesis and popularization) the anecdotes are valuable illustrations of his theme - and great fun to read. I learned much from this book: details of the lives and work of such luminaries and Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus and Adam Smith; also of the lives of lesser known discoverers such as Aldus Manutius, Amerigo Vespucci and the Chinese explorer Cheng Ho. His bibliographic essay at the end is an excellent resource for further reading. I look forward to reading The Creators and The Seekers, the next two books in the trilogy. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
This is a great way to learn about world history and the development of science. Without being dry or ponderous, Mr. Boorstin covers topics ranging from the measurement of time to great names in history (explorers, scientists, medical, etc.). I find myself re-reading chapters even now, after I have had the book for over 5 years. |
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Avid Reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
Boorstin, the former Librarian of Congress, seems to have distilled that entire collection into one book. This is the story of man's inquisitive mind, why some cultures are curious and why others are not. The variety of subjects covered are astonishing - exploration, science, art, politics. Boorstin reminds me of the historian Paul Johnson in that he combines a moving plot line of events with quirky, interesting biographies of the famous and not so famous.
This is an epic story stretching from pre-history to the present. One is continually amazed and thrilled at what human beings have thought and accomplished. The author has been quoted as saying that his book was only a prelude to his next work, the Creators. I can hardly wait. |
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Bryan John (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
Having been in college for more years than I care to recall, I can safely say that I have read my fair share of books that are filled with useful information, but written in a way that makes that information hard to get to. This is not such a book; Boorstin, whose resume includes teaching positions at Harvard and Oxford, not to mention his post as Librarian of Congress. This book is filled with lots of Jeopardy! type information, and is written in a easy-to-read style that makes it a delight to read. Its size may be somewhat intimidating, but The Discoveres is a quick read, if that could ever be said about a 750 page book. If you like this book you may also enjoy Coming of Age in the Milky Way by Timothy Ferris; another historical book that is fun and easy to read with bounds of good information. |
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Paul Swegle (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
Like most readers, I thoroughly enjoyed Boorstin's "The Discoverers". At the same time, I'll admit to understanding somewhat, and having been amused by, the one negative review below. Without diminishing the book in any way, it's a bit of a cross between a history book and an encyclopedia. It is a history of human knowledge. As such, a wide range of critical areas of human endeavor and inquiry are treated in detail - clocks and calendars, cartography and discovery, astronomy, medicine, human physiology, mathematics, scientific method, the study of plants, animals and evolution, language and communication, and the study of history itself. In tracing human understanding of these and other subjects, Boorstin introduces the reader to critical times, places, circumstances and personalities. Thus, while focusing on specific topics that are very interesting in and of themselves, the book also provides the reader with a deeper, richer and more colorful understanding of world history generally. I liked the book so much, in fact, I bought another copy to give away. |
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C. Amoury (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
This is one of those books that you wish you could read for the first time all over again. Boorstin is a master of description. He gives the reader a wealth of interesting, oftentimes facinating, information concerning pivotal events in human history without falling prey to the arcane, mind-numbing language of the cloistered academic. Like other reviewers of this book I have given several copies away in the hopes of having other people around to share my enthusiasm with. Boorstin is a treasure and I feel priviledged to be able to sit down and absorb his lifetime of research and hard work at my leisure. |
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Erik Bresnahan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
From where did time come? Why is North north and West west? When does the moon stay in the sky the longest? Similar to a child's inquiries, this is how Boorstin shows his readers just how things came about.
With precision, Boorstin decisively moves forward in time, explaining the steps our world had taken in becoming more complex, intellegent and competent. From water clocks to gear clocks, from costal navigation to the discovery of longitude and from lunar calendars to the Gregorian Calendar, Boorstin is intrepid in writing with description without digression.
Needless to say, reading this book will enrich your life with knowledge. However, Boorstin gives you a sense that you have the ability to contribute to our world's understanding of who we are, why we are here and what we are here to do. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-25 00:00>
This book is still one of my favorites. I've bought and given away this book numerous times and need another copy. I really liked how the book puts you into the timeframe and mentality of the era before a discovery occurs that changes it all. Packed with information. |
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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