This book paints a broad picture of the growth of science in the United States in terras of the lives of the scientists themselves. It starts with Thomas Har-riot, who came to America in 1588 with Raleigh's expédition, and who, in addition to his investigations in the fields of mathematics and astronomy, was the first to publicize the newly discovered American tobacco. It ends with contemporary American explorers who, with the aid of giant engineering devices, çhart the heavens and probe the secrets of the atom.
But Mr. Jaffe offers the reader more than a séries of separate biographies. He views American science and scientists against their historical background, stressing the influence which certain discoveries hâve had on the nation's social structure, and, conversely, the influence which historical, political, and social events hâve had upon the development of American science.
There is real drama in the long story of America's contributions to domestic and world science. In this book, thèse taies are told in language which is neither over-scientific nor over-simplified. Their total effect is to càst much doubt on the popularly-held belief that America has made great strides in technology and inventions but has oflered little in the fields of pure and theoretical science.
Bernard Jaffe is a New Yorker who divides his time between teaching science, studying the history of science, and writing books about it.
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