(4) YA Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math series. These dry but useful biographies explain their subjects' contributions during their own times, then discuss the men's later influence--or limitations, as with Euclidian geometry. Carefully documented facts are distinguished from legend and augmented with contextual material, such as information about Socrates in Plato and Aristotle. Captioned photos and a few diagrams illustrate the texts; brief activity sections are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math titles: The Father of Geometry, The Great Philosopher, and The Great Thinker.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math series. These dry but useful biographies explain their subjects' contributions during their own times, then discuss the men's later influence--or limitations, as with Euclidian geometry. Carefully documented facts are distinguished from legend and augmented with contextual material, such as information about Socrates in Plato and Aristotle. Captioned photos and a few diagrams illustrate the texts; brief activity sections are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math titles: The Father of Geometry, The Great Philosopher, and The Great Thinker.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math series. These earnest, if somewhat dull, biographies explain the contributions of their subjects during their own times. The books go on to discuss the influences these men had on scientific thinking throughout history. Facts are distinguished from legend and augmented (even padded) with contextual material. Captioned reproductions and a few diagrams illustrate the texts; brief activity sections are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math titles: The Greatest Doctor of Ancient Times, The Greatest Mathematician, and The Father of the Atom.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math series. These well-documented biographies surround their subjects with considerable historical context. Eratosthenes, as head of the Library of Alexandria, not only calculated Earth's measurements but also wrote poetry. Galen, "first among physicians" in second-century Greece, insisted that doctors learn anatomy, not just theory. Captioned illustrations are generally helpful; a few experiments conclude each volume. The writing, though straightforward, is fairly dull. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers Great Minds of Ancient Science and Math titles: Measuring the Earth and The Father of Anatomy.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. This series provides useful, if not riveting, information about these well-known scientists. Both biographical and scientific material is clearly presented in sufficient detail to inform school reports. The text is supplemented by photographs and illustrations. The appended activities are sometimes only tangentially related to the scientists' work. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Minds of Science titles: Edwin Hubble, Robert Hooke, Marie Curie, and Ivan Pavlov.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. These books chronicle the development of their subjects' theoretical and experimental work. Hawking's combination of quantum mechanics and general relativity, Boyle's early chemical experimentation including his famous air pump, and Rutherford's discovery of the atomic nucleus form the core for considerably more information. Black-and-white photos and occasional charts illustrate the texts, and a few experiments conclude each book. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review includes these Great Minds of Science titles: Stephen Hawking, Robert Boyle, and Ernest Rutherford.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 American Disasters series. The 1889 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood that resulted in over two thousand deaths is surveyed in a brief, occasionally repetitive text. The book recounts the construction--and eventual failure--of the South Fork Dam, includes anecdotal information about those caught in the flood, and explains how the town recovered from tragedy. Adequately reproduced color photos and reproductions add drama. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. Carefully researched and documented, ten chapters follow Kepler's life including his indebtedness to his mentor Tycho Brahe, his discovery of the three laws of planetary motion, his Protestant loyalty, his two marriages, and his publication of the Rudolphine tables. Short sentences occasionally drag; scattered black-and-white photos and diagrams supplement the text. Activities, reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) YA Great Minds of Science series. This account of the life of astronomer Tycho Brahe--whose research produced copious and extraordinarily accurate astronomical observations--includes details about sixteenth-century scientific work. Gow's writing about Brahe's personal history is uneven, but her explanations of astronomical principles are well stated. Black-and-white historical illustrations include portraits and scientific diagrams. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford