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Each volume in this series forms an illustrated introduction to one branch of knowledge, with an outline of the most important concepts and principles as well as information on key figures and historical developments. The three titles included in this set are: The Universe (Read more...) Astronomy (Read more...) Physics (Read more...)

From ancient Greek concepts of the soul to the insights of modern neurology and psychoanalysis, Rooney explains how we have tried to answer questions about the mind’s workings, individuals’ sense of identity and the best ways to treat mental illness.

The rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s Great Red Spot are familiar images, although they are invisible to the naked eye: this book explains how we know what they look like. After a chapter describing the mapping of planetary orbits, it discusses each planet and its moons, from Earth’s near neighbours to the distant ice giants Neptune and Uranus, showing how their surfaces have been mapped and depicted, and examining the range of scientific information that different types of imaging provide.

Through chapters discussing the Big Bang, the creation of matter, the lifecycle of stars and how planets and moons are formed, Anne Rooney narrates the story of our universe and how generations of scientists and philosophers have sought to understand it.

Identifying the fundamental chemical building blocks of nature, the periodic table of elements was first proposed by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. This introduction explores the history of scientific discovery that led to this codification and explains how it works and has been refined since.

Acknowledging the roots of science in natural philosophy, this book follows the endeavours of physicists since the Renaissance in developing a rational understanding of the world and looks at topics including optics, energy, atoms and space-time.

In the Apology Plato quotes Socrates as saying, at his trial for impiety, ‘an unexamined life is not worth living’. For those new to philosophy, this very accessible, illustrated survey of the development and various strands of Western thought offers a guide to starting that philosophical examination of life, tackling the big questions, including Is there a God? What can we know? and How should we live?

This overview of medical history charts humanity’s journey of discovery across thousands of years during which changing models of disease, new surgical techniques and breakthrough research have improved the ability to diagnose and treat illness and injury.

Providing an accessible explanation of the key mathematical discoveries that have shaped human progress and understanding, this volume ranges from the geometry of the Ancient Greeks to calculus, set theory and fuzzy logic.

Emerging from the experiments of alchemists, the discoveries of chemists have driven civilization forward through the manipulation of raw materials to create metals, explosives, medicines and more recently plastics.

From the creation of Stonehenge to the invention of telescopes and the emerging field of astrobiology, this volume traces humanity’s fascination with the cosmos and our place in it, recording the advances in technology that have expanded our knowledge but also revealed new areas to explore.