Asimov was, above all, a man of science. Despite being well-known for his science fiction works, he has written about actual science too—and not only for adults. This book, targeted at youngsters, gives the biographies of no less than 26 great scientists or notable inventors of the past, organized chronologically. He starts with Archimedes, skips over the Middle Ages and continues with Gutenberg. He does not forget big names like Galileo, Newton and Einstein, and also presents lesser-known people like Anton van Leeuwenhoek and Henry Bessemer.
Asimov pictures his biographees mostly as heroes, as models to be imitated. He recounts particular events in their lives and always concludes by describing the long-lasting effects of their research. The text is easy to read and flows easily.
In Newton’s biography, Asimov finds a way to belittle his work as a theologian. After a nervous breakdown in 1692 “he was never the same” and “turned toward theology and alchemy, as though science were not enough”. I do not know whether Newton had written anything previously on theology, but, if he had not, that does change my mind a little about him.
I wish someone had given me this book when I was a kid—I would have loved it.
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