The Scientific Literature

"In the introduction to this anthology, editors Joseph Harmon and Alan Gross describe the work as a sort of' 'Michelin Guide' to the development of the scientific article over the past four centuries. Their description is apt in that, like most guide books, The Scientific Literature offers highlights, interesting anecdotes, and recommendations rather than presenting its readers with much in the way of actual examples. (Alas, it does not offer a ratings system.) As befits a volume that grew out of an exhibition at the libraries of the University of Chicago, significant attention is devoted to such visual elements as tables, equations, and illustrations that have accompanied scientific texts since the scientific journal's birth in the 17th century. Although the selections are somewhat idiosyncratic and the excerpts all too brief, the editors' excellent sense of the telling detail make this volume a pleasure to dip into or to read from cover to cover."

--Audra Wolfe "Chemical Heritage"

"There are now many historical and sociological studies of scientific communication. Joseph Harmon and Alan Gross's book, The Scientific Literature, is something different--neither a research monograph on the history of scientific writing nor a straightforward compilation of excerpts. . . It includes about 125 examples of scientific writing taken from papers, books, reviews and Nobel speeches, and covers materials from the seventeenth century up to the announcement of the rough draft of the human genome in 2001....These scientific snippets are embedded in strands of editorial commentary describing, highlighting and interpreting. The tone is genial: the 'guided tour' doesn't threaten arduous intellectual adventure. Rhetorical terms are explained, scientific authors are identified, and pertinent scientific contexts are introduced."

--Steven Shapin "Nature" (8/16/2007 12:00:00 AM)