The First Scientist by Brian Clegg

The First Scientist by Brian Clegg

The 13th-century friar Roger Bacon has a good claim to be known as the West's first true scientist. Born in 1219, he was passionately interested in the natural world and how things worked. In this age of religious intolerance and superstition he was banned from writing on such dangerous topics by his Order, and it was only when a new Pope proved sympathetic that he began his encyclopedia of knowledge, on everything from optics to alchemy. Sadly the enlightened Pope died before he could read it; and Bacon was tried as a magician and incarcerated for 10 years. After his death, legend transformed Bacon into a mythical sorcerer "Doctor Mirabilis", but we recognize that his books were the first flowering of the scientific knowledge that would transform our world. This work is both a biography and a picture of the times - an intellectual map of the medieval world in which advances were made and controversies flourished.

'In this extraordinary book.. Clegg's accessible writing style manages to encapsulate the lives of light's disciples with humorous and interesting anecdotes... quite awesome.' - New Scientist

Brian Clegg read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, after which he spent a year doing a second MA in Operational Research. He pioneered the use of computers at British Airways, and later set up the Emerging Technologies Group, researching and trialling technologies such as fingerprint recognition and electronic cash. He now runs a creative consultancy and contributes to many publications. His most recent book is Light Years: An Exploration of Mankind's Enduring Fascination with Light.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781841196183
ISBN 10	1841196185
Title	The First Scientist
Author	Brian Clegg
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Little, Brown Book Group
Year published	2003-02-27
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable