A masterpiece of technical exposition, it was the basic textbook of astronomy for more than a thousand years, and still is the main source for our knowledge of ancient astronomy. This translation, based on the standard Greek text of Heiberg, makes the work accessible to English readers in an intelligible and reliable form. It contains numerous corrections derived from medieval Arabic translations and extensive footnotes that take account of the great progress in understanding the work made in this century, due to the discovery of Babylonian records and other researches. It is designed to stand by itself as an interpretation of the original, but it will also be useful as an aid to reading the Greek text.

    Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century AD, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first water-clock, or the use of asses’ milk to remove wrinkles. Pliny himself died while investigating the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79, and the natural curiosity that brought about his death is also very much evident in the Natural History — a book that proved highly influential right up until the Renaissance and that his nephew, Pliny the younger, described ‘as full of variety as nature itself’. John F. Healy has made a fascinating and varied selection from the Natural History for this clear, modern translation. In his introduction, he discusses the book and its sources topic by topic. This edition also includes a full index and notes.

    This beautifully produced book looks at the plants that most of us take for granted, but which have changed the world, for better and for worse. The story of these plants is also the story of human survival and ingenuity (the invention of agriculture); the greed of men and their rulers, and the founding of trade routes and empires (think of opium and spices); advances in science and medicine; of new frontiers such as genetic modification and plants grown by NASA in outer space. The roots of civilisation looks not only at the the better known world-changers like opium, tobacco, cotton and the orchid, but also at the humbler flora that have quietly but profoundly shaped human civilisation. Chapters are divided into areas ranging from fibre plants; foods, herbs and spices; flowers; medicinal; poisonous; psychotropic; and, shelter."--Provided by publisher.

    

    

    D. Bernal's monumental work Science in History is the first full-scale attempt to analyze the relationship between science and society throughout history, from the perfection of the first flint hand ax to the construction of the hydrogen bomb. This remarkable study illustrates the impetus given to and the limitations placed upon discovery and invention by pastoral, agricultural, feudal, capitalist, and socialist systems, and conversely the ways in which science has altered economic, social, and political beliefs and practices.

    

    In this remarkable study Bernal illustrates the impetus given to (and the limitations placed upon) discovery and inventions by pastoral, agricultural, feudal, capitalist and socialist systems, and conversely the ways in which science has altered economic, social, and political beliefs and practices. (Volume 1 - The Emergence of Science Volume 2 - The Scientific and Industrial Revolutions Volume 3 - The Natural Sciences in Our Time Volume 4 - The Social Sciences: Conclusion)