'Superb' Sunday Times

'Revolutionary' Alice Roberts

'Hugely important' Jim Al-Khalili

A radical retelling of the history of science that highlights the scientists erased by history. In this significant retelling of the history of science from 1450 to the present, James Poskett debunks the myth that science began in Europe. The narrow Western view that focuses on 'great men'—Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, Einstein—was only part of the story. The reality was a truly global, non-linear pattern of cross-fertilization, competition, collaboration, and outright conflict. Each rupture in history charted new paths for global exchange.

Here, for the first time, Poskett celebrates how scientists from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific were an integral part of this very human story. We meet Graman Kwasi, the African botanist who discovered a new treatment for malaria; Hantaro Nagaoka, the Japanese scientist who first described the structure of the atom; and Zhao Zhongyao, the Chinese physicist who discovered antimatter.

'Exceptional. Challenges almost everything we know about science in the West' Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps

'Perspective-changing' Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice'

'Horizons upends traditional narratives of the history of science' Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred

Poskett deftly integrates the achievements of unknown figures into the broader history of science... brings clarity' Chris Allnutt, Financial Times

Pages: 464, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm