Horizons - by James Poskett (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Shortlisted for the British Academy Book Prize

Named a Best Book of the Year by the Financial Times and BBC History Magazine

A groundbreaking, global retelling of the history of science from 1450 to the present day, exploding the myth that science began in Europe.

When we think about the origins of modern science, we usually begin in Europe, praising the great minds of Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein. But this narrow Western gaze is only one part of the story. The reality was an utterly global, nonlinear pattern of cross-fertilization, competition, cooperation and outright conflict. Each rupture in history carved fresh channels for global exchange. Award-winning professor James Poskett celebrates how scientists from Africa, America, Asia, and the Pacific were integral to this very human story. We meet Graman Kwasi, the African botanist who discovered a new cure for malaria; Hantaro Nagaoka, the Japanese scientist who first described the structure of the atom; and Zhao Zhongyao, the Chinese physicist who discovered antimatter. Horizons is a richly informative and timely reminder that scientific achievement is, and has always been, a global endeavor.

"Superb...This is not just a history of science. It is a history of the modern world seen through the lens of science." -- Los Angeles Review of Books

"This treasure trove of a book puts the case persuasively and compellingly that modern science did not develop solely in Europe. Hugely important."--Jim Al-Khalili

Review Quotes

"This treasure trove of a book puts the case persuasively and compellingly that modern science did not develop solely in Europe. The well-trodden narrative that the scientific revolution began with Copernicus and Galileo, and continued through Newton, Darwin and Einstein, neglects so much. We acknowledge that science today is a truly global enterprise, but this hugely important book explains that it has ever been thus." - Jim Al-Khalili, author of Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics

"A useful corrective that brings us closer to a more accurate history of Western science--one which recognizes Europe, not as exceptional, but as learning from the world." - Angela Saini, author of Superior: The Return of Race Science

"Horizons is a remarkable book that challenges almost everything we know about science in the West. Poskett brings to light an extraordinary array of material to change our thinking on virtually every great scientific breakthrough in the last 500 years... An explosive book that truly broadens our global scientific horizons, past and present." - Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps

"A provocative examination of major contributions to science made outside Europe and the USA, from ancient to modern times, explained in relation to global historical events. I particularly enjoyed the stories of individuals whose work tends to be omitted from standard histories of science." - Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures: The Lives and Work of Great Mathematicians

"The righting of the historical record makes Horizons a deeply satisfying read. We learn about a fascinating group of people engaged in scientific inquiry all over the world. Even more satisfyingly, Horizons demonstrates that the most famous scientists - Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein among them - couldn't have made their discoveries without the help of their global contacts." - Valerie Hansen, author of The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World?and Globalization Began

"From palatial Aztec botanic gardens to Qing Dynasty evolutionary theories, Horizons upends traditional accounts of the history of science, showing how curiosity and intellectual exploration was, and is, a global phenomenon." - Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred

"A wonderful, timely reminder that scientific advancement is, and has always been, a global endeavour." - Patrick Roberts, author of Jungle

"Science as a global project might seem like a new concept. But Poskett reveals how internationality has been the lifeblood of science through history." - Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors

"Superb...This is not just a history of science. It is a history of the modern world seen through the lens of science." - Los Angeles Review of Books

"A radical retelling of the history of science... Poskett deftly blends the achievements of little-known figures into the wider history of science... The book brims with clarity." - Financial Times