How the World Works: A Guide to Science's Greatest Discoveries

This book was a great find and makes a great gift. In this book are all the basics for those non-scientists among us (and who isn't?).

An extremely well written book introducing the average reader to what science is with an inspiring definition followed by a compact description of the major scientific theories with references to more detailed explanations that make up the bulk of the book. The terms frequently used in popular articles on scientific research are listed and explained with clarity of expression. The content is very well organised with cross-references to related topics integrating coverage of the major discoveries throughout the history of science, including short bibliographies of the most important scientists and their contributions, to make for captivating reading.I read it to refresh my science knowledge and found that the elegant combination of historical perspective and technical lucidity made this book a joy to read and very enlightening. Would that all science writing be done that way! It would make an excellent reference book.