From the bestselling author of The Knowledge Web come fifty mesmerizing journeys into the history of technology,
each following a chain of consequential events that ends precisely where it began. Whether exploring electromagnetic
fields, the origin of hot chocolate, or DNA fingerprinting, these essays -- which originally appeared in James
Burke's popular Scientific American column -- all illustrate the serendipitous and surprisingly circular nature
of change.
In "Room with (Half) a View," for instance, Burke muses about the partly obscured railway bridge outside
his home on the Thames. Thinking of the bridge engineer, who also built the steamship that laid the first transatlantic
telegraph cable, causes him to recall Samuel Morse; which, in turn, conjures up Morse's neighbor, firearms inventor
Sam Colt, and his rival, Remington. One dizzying connection after another leads to Karl Marx's daughter, who attended
Socialist meetings with a trombonist named Gustav Holst, who once lived in the very house that blocks Burke's view
of the bridge on the Thames. Burke's essays all evolve in this organic manner, highlighting the interconnectedness
of seemingly unrelated events and innovations. Romantic poetry leads to brandy distillation; tonic water connects
through Leibniz to the first explorers to reach the North Pole.
Witty, instructive, and endlessly entertaining, Circles expands on the trademark style that has captivated James
Burke fans for years. This unique collection is sure to stimulate and delight history buffs, technophiles, and
anyone else with a healthy intellectual curiosity.