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The Discoverers (Knowledge Series Book 2) Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 580 ratings

An original history of man's greatest adventure: his search to discover the world around him.  In the compendious history, Boorstin not only traces man's insatiable need to know, but also the obstacles to discovery and the illusion that knowledge can also put in our way. Covering time, the earth and the seas, nature and society, he gathers and analyzes stories of the man's profound quest to understand his world and the cosmos.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Perhaps the greatest book by one of our greatest historians, The Discoverers is a volume of sweeping range and majestic interpretation. To call it a history of science is an understatement; this is the story of how humankind has come to know the world, however incompletely ("the eternal mystery of the world," Einstein once said, "is its comprehensibility"). Daniel J. Boorstin first describes the liberating concept of time--"the first grand discovery"--and continues through the age of exploration and the advent of the natural and social sciences. The approach is idiosyncratic, with Boorstin lingering over particular figures and accomplishments rather than rushing on to the next set of names and dates. It's also primarily Western, although Boorstin does ask (and answer) several interesting questions: Why didn't the Chinese "discover" Europe and America? Why didn't the Arabs circumnavigate the planet? His thesis about discovery ultimately turns on what he calls "illusions of knowledge." If we think we know something, then we face an obstacle to innovation. The great discoverers, Boorstin shows, dispel the illusions and reveal something new about the world.

Although The Discoverers easily stands on its own, it is technically the first entry in a trilogy that also includes The Creators and The Seekers. An outstanding book--one of the best works of history to be found anywhere. --John J. Miller

From Publishers Weekly

In Boorstin's 1983 bestseller The Discoverers , the achievements of Galileo, Columbus, Darwin, Gutenberg and Freud emerged as upwellings of creativity and courage, ingenious acts of revolt against ingrained habit. This richly illustrated two-volume edition reveals the world as known to the discovers themselves. We see the tools of discovery--Egyptian obelisks, early clocks, Leeuwenhoek's microscope, Mercator's maps, botanical drawings from James Cook's voyages--and glimpse the social, cultural and political background, made concrete in 550 pictures including paintings, sculpture, engravings and architecture. A photograph of 15th-century cast bronze type from Korea underscores an Eastern invention that could have changed the course of printing, perhaps of science and culture. In a feast for the mind and eye, itself a delightful adventure in discovery, Boorstin, librarian of Congress emeritus, profiles--and places in context--scores of innovators who broke with dogma and tradition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004FGLWXO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; 1st Vintage Book ed edition (January 26, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 26, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2824 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 767 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0394402294
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 580 ratings

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Daniel J. Boorstin
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
580 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and interesting about history. They describe the story as erudite and eye-opening. The writing style is well-organized and easy to read, with illustrations and photographs that add clarity to verbal descriptions. Readers praise the author as brilliant and one of the best presenters of the history of man's struggle. Overall, they find the book engaging, fun, and enjoyable to read.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

54 customers mention "Value for money"54 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth reading and a valuable purchase. It provides basic knowledge in science and history. The first 70% of the book is interesting, but after a while it can become a sleep aid. Overall, readers consider it an excellent resource that's worth the price.

"This is a truly excellent book I highly recommend...." Read more

"...information, and is written in a easy-to-read style that makes it a delight to read...." Read more

"...Plan on reading this slowly, but worthwhile." Read more

"...Find a section and enjoy the read then pick another section that interests you and you will find you want to read other sections because of the..." Read more

50 customers mention "History knowledge"50 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and interesting about history. They say it's an easy-to-read and logical presentation of the subject. The book is great for inquisitive minds, though some find some details a bit too detailed. Overall, readers praise the book as a good introduction to the subject for a layperson.

"...listing geographic or scientific discoveries, but instead gives an in-depth description of how our understanding of time, space, history, science or..." Read more

"...and vignettes enhance the historical narrative, bringing History into a personal perspective...." Read more

"Interested in the historical information, which is very important." Read more

"...insight into some really basic things, such as time, mankind's history of keeping track of time...." Read more

31 customers mention "Enthralling story"31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's story engaging and informative. They describe it as an eye-opening history of human knowledge, with interesting facts and answers to life's mysteries. The author has a unique ability to deliver complex stories in a readable way, and the subject matter and writing are superb.

"The stories and vignettes enhance the historical narrative, bringing History into a personal perspective...." Read more

"...you how many aspects of modern life remain linked to a very human story of discovery...." Read more

"...It has given me insight into some really basic things, such as time, mankind's history of keeping track of time...." Read more

"...Boorstin, an erudite man if there is one, has a unique skill to deliver complex stories in a most readable and interesting way, and probably the..." Read more

29 customers mention "Writing style"25 positive4 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the illustrations and photographs that enhance the verbal descriptions. The author is described as prolific and brilliant in detail. Overall, customers describe the book as a quick read.

"...Very scholarly yet readable." Read more

"...It is endlessly fascinating and written in a style that flows from the page...." Read more

"...there is one, has a unique skill to deliver complex stories in a most readable and interesting way, and probably the secret lies in that he gives us..." Read more

"...Its size may be somewhat intimidating, but The Discoveres is a quick read, if that could ever be said about a 750 page book...." Read more

8 customers mention "Author"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's thorough and brilliant chapters. They find the book one of the best on the history of science. Readers also mention that the author is a great presenter of the history of man's struggle to understand science.

"...Among the ones I remember best: Galileo was a great guy, I would have loved to meet him; Newton not, he was not a nice guy..." Read more

"...While the early chapters are thorough and brilliant, by the end it feels like Boorstin is tired of the project. Still, a great read!" Read more

"Fabulous! Daniel Boorstin's gift to the curious and knowledge-seeking soul...." Read more

"One of the best books I've ever read on the history of science; beautifully written with style and humour and not dry by any standard I know for..." Read more

8 customers mention "Enjoyment"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read. They describe it as fun, exciting, and a pleasant escape. The book provides useful information about history and science.

"...I'm enjoying it immensely. It is endlessly fascinating and written in a style that flows from the page...." Read more

"...in the Milky Way by Timothy Ferris; another historical book that is fun and easy to read with bounds of good information." Read more

"An excellent overview of world history told in am engaging and easy-to-read style.This book is required reading for our homeschooled high-schoolers...." Read more

"...Reading this book is a pleasurable escape that is impossible to resist." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2008
    This is a truly excellent book I highly recommend. Its main target audience should be anyone interested in the history of mankind, but in particular - the history of shifting paradigms and notions of the world.
    Boorstin doesn't concentrate on listing geographic or scientific discoveries, but instead gives an in-depth description of how our understanding of time, space, history, science or society has varied in time and space. These are notions we usually take for granted, but Boorsting convincingly proves that our understanding of the world might have turned out a different way, and in fact in many cultures did.
    In particular Boorstin is concerned with what he called "illusion of knowledge" stemming mostly from satisfaction with belief such as astrology or religion. In this aspect "The Discoverers" is highly critical of the Church's role in hampering or reversing progress, which as I noticed gave the book a few one-starred reviews from more religious readers.
    Other than that I was immensely impressed with the author's knowledge and command of facts. It was truly an eye-opener for a person who knows history superficially to read for example that the Mongols were more tolerant and open than more civilized countries of the era. Even if you think you know it all, Boorstin will surprise you with something new or a new angle of seeing history.

    There are two flaws I must point out. One is lack of illustrations, especially of devices and maps that could complement or replace some written descriptions. I hope an illustrated or multimedia edition is on its way.
    The second is its quality. For a book of over 700 pages paperback is not really an option and the 1985 copy I read is horribly dog-eared with plastic covers peeling off. In my opinion the book is well-worth spending twelve bucks for a paperback, but personally I just ordered the hardcover edition for myself.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
    The stories and vignettes enhance the historical narrative, bringing History into a personal perspective.
    I found myself carried along in the story's stream, which were connected by a common motif.
    Very scholarly yet readable.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2015
    This history by the astonishingly accomplished Daniel J. Boorstin takes the reader through the moments in history where the great leaps forward took place. Many were the product of individual people, such as Prince Henry the Navigator, who insisted that vessels of exploration continue past a particularly featureless section of the West African coast despite sailors' fears that it was the beginning of the end of the world. Boorstin introduces the human aspect of each drama of discovery, including illuminating and frequently petty concerns that sometimes animated the great thinkers and doers of the ages.

    It will amaze you how many aspects of modern life remain linked to a very human story of discovery.

    In some ways the book is subtly subversive. Much history of discovery turns out to be history of un-learning. Many of the great moments of advancement were those when a person, group, or culture managed to escape the constraints of mysticism, religion, racism, and dogma in order to discern actual truths. The roughly 1,000 years during which Europe collectively rejected knowledge and thought in favor of religious cosmology is treated for what it is: a colossal waste of lives and human potential. In many cases, too, the seemingly great discovery of the moment was totally, factually wrong, its importance lost on the discoverer because the real discovery was not the answer to a question, but the asking of it. The story of human progress could be terribly frustrating, but Boorstin's focus on the positive moments of rising above the muck of ignorance invites the reader to focus on the hope that humanity can continue on this path.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2024
    Interested in the historical information, which is very important.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2012
    We bought this as a gift for a family member at my husband's urging. He's an English professor and I was afraid it might be a bit dense but it is now on my reading list. I'm enjoying it immensely. It is endlessly fascinating and written in a style that flows from the page. It has given me insight into some really basic things, such as time, mankind's history of keeping track of time. That subject alone covers science, culture, the influence of the environment and religion. I've just started reading it and know it isn't a book I'm going to just glide through but I will certainly finish it. As my husband said, it is a liberal arts education in one book.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2003
    I agree with other reviewers here who say that this book should be used in classes, instead of the boring, stiff and uninformative bricks we are given in school. Boorstin, an erudite man if there is one, has a unique skill to deliver complex stories in a most readable and interesting way, and probably the secret lies in that he gives us the human dimension. His book is centered on the persons who made all these discoveries, not on the discoveries themselves, and that makes it all the more appealing.
    I had read his book "The Creators" (another must-read focused on art) and I think the same element is present. In "The Discoverers", Boorstin takes us by the hand and guides us through the history of Man's search for knowledge. And it is a romp. The cast of characters is as varied as humanity itself, from crazy madmen to admirable heroes of knowledge. Among the ones I remember best: Galileo was a great guy, I would have loved to meet him; Newton not, he was not a nice guy (and I couldn't understand any of his thoughts anyway); Paracelsus was a total whacko; Columbus was admirable in his obstination; Linnaeus was great too; but the guy who discovered metabolism was the craziest of them all. Just imagine a guy weighing his body before and after meals, and then weighing... ugh, his excrements to measure the difference. Thank God somebody did it, but it sounds awful.
    Read this book and you will learn a lot more than in three years of school.
    14 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • 1931
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
    Reviewed in Canada on December 11, 2023
    Enjoyed this particular connecting of the dots. Nice essay.
  • Francois
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incontournable
    Reviewed in France on September 2, 2023
    Ce livre est bien écrit, agréable, bourré de savoir et très inspirant. Bien sûr le style est un peu daté et assez académique mais ce livre permet de prendre de la hauteur et de comprendre les grandes étapes de la civilisation occidentale.
  • Explorer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in India on March 1, 2020
    Awesome Book
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding presentation of the history of mankind
    Reviewed in Germany on May 29, 2017
    The content and the way of presentation of this book are unmatched. Boorstin had a deep understanding of history, technology and science. And he mastered the language (the languages, he obviously knew various of these) like few others. If you are fluent in English, try to read this!
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2016
    I love it. It's written in a way that most people should be able to understand the language used.It's a fountain of knowledge and intriguing. Highly recommended for people who want to broaden their knowledge.

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