《天文学简史》由剑桥大学科学史和科学哲学系主任迈克尔•霍斯金撰写，霍斯金所编的《剑桥插图天文学史》被西方学者誉为“天文学史唯一权威的插图指南”。上海交通大学科学史系主任、中国第一位天文学史专业博士江晓原作序推荐。 史前的农夫利用天上的星辰判断季节的更替；古希腊天文学与古巴比伦天文学合流；17世纪，牛顿提出万有引力定律；19世纪中期，天体物理学迅猛发展；二战后，天文学家展开对星际空间的探索；托勒密、哥白尼、伽利略、开普勒、哈雷和牛顿在这段历史长河里熠熠生辉。由于天文学的特点，天文学史比其他学科史具有更多的趣味性和津乐道的故事。

「天文学」の始まりは、人類が農耕を行うようになった時代、紀元前2000年頃にまで遡ることができる。農作物の栽培や収穫時期を知るため、1年の周期を正確に把握する必要から、暦づくりがその発端とされている。以降、人類の発展とともに天文学も進歩し、16世紀に入って、ケプラーやガリレオ、ニュートンなどにより天文学は飛躍的に進歩することになる。とはいえ、観測機器に乏しく、理論も確立されていない先史、古代時代にすでに宇宙の多くを把握していたと考えられている。 本書では、天文学の始まった先史時代から19世紀までを、各時代の宇宙観、観測の歴史などとともに時間軸に沿って直線的に解説する。

Astronomy, perhaps the first of the sciences, was already well developed by the time of Christ. Seventeen centuries later, after Newton showed that the movements of the planets could be explained in terms of gravitation, it became the paradigm for the mathematical sciences. In the nineteenth century the analysis of star-light allowed astrophysicists to determine both the chemic...(展开全部)

Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be practised and understood in a multitude of ways; indeed, mathematical ideas themselves are far from being fixed, but are adapted and changed by their passage across periods and cultures. In this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical and cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from th...(展开全部)

Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, this Very Short Introduction surveys the history of medicine from classical times to the present. Focussing on the key turning points in the history of Western medicine, such as the advent of hospitals and the rise of experimental medicine, Bill Bynum offers insights into medicine's past, while at the...(展开全部)

- Each chapter describes a major step in the history of life - the breakthroughs that made new forms of life possible - Explores the origins of sex, the first multicellular creatures, explains how hard skeletons evolved, why animals moved to land, and how the first forests were born - Presents a completely up-to-date picture of the earliest origins of life, exploring new concep...(展开全部)

There are many stories we can tell about the past, and we are not, perhaps, as free as we might imagine in our choice of which stories to tell, or where those stories end. John Arnold's Very Short Introduction is a stimulating essay about how we study and understand history. The book begins by inviting us to think about various questions provoked by our investigation of histo...(展开全部)

This brief history of America will span the earliest migrations to the present, reflecting Paul S. Boyer's interests in social, intellectual, and cultural history, including popular culture and religion. It will reflect his personal view of American history, in which a sense of paradox and irony loom large. While noting positive achievements--political, economic, social, and cu...(展开全部)

- Introduces in a clear and concise way the most important basic findings and procedures of evolutionary biology - Looks at the evidence for evolution, eg the fossil record, the distribution of species, the similarities and differences between organisms - A section at the end looks at the seemingly difficult problems for the theory of evolution - Explains adaptation and natural...(展开全部)

Exploring the cultural and institutional dimensions of Christianity, and tracing its course over two millennia, Linda Woodhead provides a fresh, lively, and candid portrait of Christianity's past and present. Addressing topics including the competition for power between different forms of Christianity, the churches' use of power, and its struggles with modernity, this new editi...(展开全部)