The Outline of Science, First Volume

by John Arthur Thomson

A four volume overview of the different sciences. This is volume 1.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

468 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2007

About the author

Sir John Arthur Thomson FRSE LLD was a Scottish naturalist who authored several notable books and was an expert on soft corals. He was the second son of Isabella Landsborough (1828 - 1905) and the Rev. Arthur Thomson (1823 - 1881), a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, originally from Muckhart.

He studied natural history at the University of Edinburgh graduating with an MA in 1880. He had already established a reputation as a worthy scientist within his first years and in 1887, aged 25, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Patrick Geddes, J. T. Cunningham, Sir John Murray and Robert McNair Ferguson.

He taught at the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College from 1893 until 1899 then University of Aberdeen from 1899 until 1930 as Regius Professor of Natural History (Aberdeen), the year he was knighted. His popular works sought to reconcile science and religion. Thomson's Outline of Science, published in 1922, sold more than one hundred thousand copies in five years.

Reviews

[Norm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 4-volume series is almost a century old, but it's the clearest and most readable overview of Science I've ever seen.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it seems odd to be reviewing a science outline from 1922, but this first volume was an excellent read. I came to it via Will Durant's list "100 Books for a Superior Education" and I was surprised to discover that the vast majority of this book is still accurate now, more than 100 years later. Volume 1 covers the basics of astronomy, biology, paleontology, evolution, and that hip new study of atomic theory. Sure, they hadn't found Pluto yet, there have been tons of new fossil discoveries in the last century, and the whole idea of "The Ether" as a substance within which light waves travel had yet to be debunked, but most every other bit of science in this book is still spot on. By modern standards, the science in this book approximates a roughly middle school American public school science education. The notable exception is the section on evolution, which is shockingly more than I was taught in grade school and less than recent primate and hominid evolution discoveries have taught me as an adult. If you're looking for an oddball way to consume the basics of science with a hint of tobacco, rolled leather chairs, and holdover hints of 19th-century imperialism, this is the book for you. I'll definitely be continuing into the second volume!

[Duaij · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are great volumes and very throughly prepared for, especially when the author claims he is writing for the sake of popular science.

Nevertheless, there are many interesting subjects to learn here in these 4 volumes of never-ending scientific discoveries, especially in the chapters explaining Darwin’s theories of evolution and Einstein’s perception of space and time, noting the scientific battle between Einstein and Newton in the cases of gravitational theories!

You will especially find a thorough bibliography for further reading in the 4th volume of the set, containing books on almost all topics he touched upon.

[Charles Samuels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone who seeks to understand the striking subtlety and sophistication of scientific thought that existed in the early 20th Century should be encouraged to read this work. Sure, the tools, and even a few conclusions, may be nearly a century out of date, but the Method remains pure and undiminished. As historical touchstone and example of what popular scientific writing was, and may still be, The Outline of Science holds up.

[Said Mastachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure old gold.