What do you think?
Rate this book
Profiles in Science
Ibn Al-Haytham: First Scientist
A young adult biography of Muslim scientist and Father of Optics Ibn al-Haytham
128 pages, Library Binding
First published December 30, 2006
1 person is currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Bradley Steffens
84 books12 followersBradley Steffens is a novelist, poet, and author of more than seventy nonfiction books for children and young adults.
Kirkus Reviews named his The Dark Side of Social Media one of the ten Best Young Adult Nonfiction Books of 2021. Steffens is a two-time recipient of the San Diego Book Award for Best Young Adult & Children's Nonfiction. His Giants won the 2005 award and his People in the News: J.K. Rowling received the 2007 prize. J.K. Rowling also received the Theodor S. Geisel Award for the best published book by a San Diego County author in 2007. Five of Steffens' books, including Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist, have been selected by California Readers to be part of the California Collections.
Steffens' poetry has appeared in more than seventy literary journals, including Crosscurrents, Sidewalks, Loonfeather, Stone Country, and The Bellingham Review. Steffens has won several prizes for his poetry, including the Emerging Voices Award presented by The Loft Literary Center, the Lake Superior Writing Competition sponsored by the Duluth Public Library, and the annual poetry contest sponsored by the Saint Paul chapter of the American Association of University Women.
The Minneapolis-based Olympia Arts Ensemble produced his play-in-verse, Virodha-Bhakti, a Sequence of Pageants in 1981. Noel Bredahl of the St. Paul Post-Dispatch hailed the play as "an awesome creation on the part of the playwright." David Hawley, also of the St. Paul Post Dispatch, wrote, “Steffens is a powerful, talented artist."
Kirkus Reviews named his The Dark Side of Social Media one of the ten Best Young Adult Nonfiction Books of 2021. Steffens is a two-time recipient of the San Diego Book Award for Best Young Adult & Children's Nonfiction. His Giants won the 2005 award and his People in the News: J.K. Rowling received the 2007 prize. J.K. Rowling also received the Theodor S. Geisel Award for the best published book by a San Diego County author in 2007. Five of Steffens' books, including Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist, have been selected by California Readers to be part of the California Collections.
Steffens' poetry has appeared in more than seventy literary journals, including Crosscurrents, Sidewalks, Loonfeather, Stone Country, and The Bellingham Review. Steffens has won several prizes for his poetry, including the Emerging Voices Award presented by The Loft Literary Center, the Lake Superior Writing Competition sponsored by the Duluth Public Library, and the annual poetry contest sponsored by the Saint Paul chapter of the American Association of University Women.
The Minneapolis-based Olympia Arts Ensemble produced his play-in-verse, Virodha-Bhakti, a Sequence of Pageants in 1981. Noel Bredahl of the St. Paul Post-Dispatch hailed the play as "an awesome creation on the part of the playwright." David Hawley, also of the St. Paul Post Dispatch, wrote, “Steffens is a powerful, talented artist."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 26, 2013
Mind blowing and very interesting to own and read, explains a lot of the situation during the Islamic Golden era while that scientist was first within it, and what he had to put up with with great brief knowledgeable details simplified for light readers with accredited sources.
September 16, 2017
I found this book fascinating. It definitely changed my world-view. I would definitely recommend.
April 22, 2018
Reader Beware-If you have a packed agenda do not immerse yourself in The Prisoner of Al Hakim as you will become a prisoner of a riveting read. THE PRISONER OF AL-HAKIM is a rollicking adventure that turns into a heartwarming romance. It is driven throughout by a curiosity and intelligence that, instead of being a separate thread, drives the narrative forward. It’s clearly the work of an accomplished, disciplined writer. The book champions education, specifically science and theology. Its narrative shows the cooperation of people from diverse backgrounds, and the author is clearly well versed in Islam. The main character is a believable, devout creation. I highly recommend it.
October 15, 2018
Fascinating book. shows you how one man was over 600 years ahead of his time and helped shape multiple diciplice (art, culture and of course science).
It also shows you how we as muslims have denied ourselves knowledge based on fearful judgement or fear of the unknown. All knowledge belongs to Allah and to seek it out is to get closer to Allah (As Al-Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham himself would say).
It also shows you how we as muslims have denied ourselves knowledge based on fearful judgement or fear of the unknown. All knowledge belongs to Allah and to seek it out is to get closer to Allah (As Al-Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham himself would say).
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews