'The nature/nurture dichotomy has lost its grip in biology. So too, in the new history of science on display in this volume, science and culture no longer struggle against one another. Mutually entangled, they are also mutually enriching and constantly throw up surprises, from the boiling point of water to the meaning of a sundial to the legal status of a gene.' - M. Norton Wise, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
'In this remarkable assembly of essays, the authors take some of the oldest topics in the history of science (priority, experiments, devices, international meetings, for example) and rewrite them in a strikingly new register. Thoroughly historical, engagingly written, these inquiries show us how patents rewrite the very idea of innovation, how mechanisms alter philosophy, how biblical chronology engages astronomy. In the range and depth of their vision of history of science in a world of war, industry, and the academy, the book is a fine tribute to John Heilbron's illustrious career in history of science; at the same time, Nature Engaged stands on its own as a delightful glimpse of some of the best work we have.' - Peter L. Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor and Director, Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Hardvard University, USA
