A simple question: Which came first, advances in navigation or successful voyages of discovery? A complicated answer: Both and neither. For more than four centuries, scientists and explorers have worked together--sometimes intentionally and sometimes not--in an ongoing, symbiotic partnership. When early explorers brought back exotic flora and fauna from newly discovered lands, scientists were able to challenge ancient authorities for the first time. As a result, scientists not only invented new navigational tools to encourage exploration, but also created a new approach to studying nature,...

"Imperialism and Science" is a scholarly yet accessible chronicle of the impact of imperialism on science over the past 200 years, from the effect of Catholicism on scientific progress in Latin America to the importance of U.S. government funding of scientific research to America's preeminent place in the world.

Spanning two centuries of scientific advance throughout the age of empire, "Imperialism and Science" sheds new light on the spread of scientific thought throughout the former colonial world. Science made enormous advances during this period, often being associated with...

Spanning six centuries, this survey of the interplay between science and literature in the West begins with Chaucer's "Treatise on the Astrolabe" and includes commentary on key trends in contemporary literature.

Beginning with the birth of science fiction, the authors examine the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne as well as Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" within the context of a wider analysis of the impact of major historical developments like the Renaissance, the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism. The book balances readings of literature with explanations of...