Science is about discovery, a journey towards knowledge. With authors as diverse as Galileo and Lewis Carroll, the extracts featured in this anthology span centuries and continents; they include startling revelations that changed the way we think and tackle more prosaic questions such as why the sea is salty; they consider the natural beauty of the snowflake and the man-made wonder of the first computer. What links them all is a desire to understand, explain and enrich the world, and the ability to communicate this in original, clear and engaging prose. 'Relaxed, sunny and domesticated . the science emerges naturally, and reflectively from our familiar world' Guardian ' The Art of Science showcases not only readable translations of key scientific ideas but situates those ideas in their cultural and historical context' Independent.