Fuel for Thought

The Discoverers

Normally I blow through a book in a few days. Daniel Boorstin’s, The Discoverers is an easy-reading, densely packed history of human discoveries published in 1985. Including a couple detours, it took me six months to read. This is a very good book for anyone interested in technological advances and the spread of new ideas.   Topics include measuring time, navigation breaking away from the coastlines, printing and the dissemination of words, the organization of knowledge, and the introduction of newer sciences like economics and sociology. Boorstin hit major names like Marco Polo and Newton, and more obsure names worth marking and saving for further reading. The Discoverers is followed by The Creators and The Seekers.

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