Science and Civilisation in China
 Science and Civilisation in China | |
| Author | Joseph Needham |
|---|---|
| Original title | Science and Civilisation in China |
| Series | 7 volumes |
Science and Civilisation in China (1954–[2015]) is a series of books initiated and edited by British biochemist, historian and sinologist Sir Joseph Needham, Ph.D (1900–1995). They deal with the history of science and technology in China. To date there have been seven volumes in twenty-seven books. The series was on the Modern Library Board's 100 Best Nonfiction books of the 20th century.[1]
In 1954, Needham—along with an international team of collaborators—initiated the project to study the science, technology, and civilisation of ancient China. This project produced a series of volumes published by Cambridge University Press. The project is still continuing under the guidance of the Publications Board of the Needham Research Institute (NRI), chaired by Christopher Cullen.[2]
Needham's transliteration of Chinese characters uses the Wade-Giles system, though the aspirate apostrophe (e.g., ch'i) was rendered 'h' (viz. chhi; traditional Chinese: 氣; Mandarin Pinyin: qì). However, it was abandoned in favor of the pinyin system by the NRI board in April 2004, with Volume 5, Part 11 becoming the first to use the new system.[3]
Volumes
| Vol. | Title | Contributors | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | Introductory Orientations | Wang Ling (research assistant) | 1954 | |
| Vol. 2 | History of Scientific Thought | Wang Ling (research assistant) | 1956 | OCLC |
| Vol. 3 | Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and Earth | Wang Ling (research assistant) | 1959 | OCLC |
| Vol. 4, Part 1 |
Physics | Wang Ling (research assistant), with cooperation of Kenneth Robinson | 1962 | OCLC |
| Vol. 4 Part 2 |
Mechanical Engineering | Wang Ling (collaborator) | 1965 | |
| Vol. 4, Part 3 |
Civil Engineering and Nautics | Wang Ling and Lu Gwei-djen (collaborators) | 1971 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 1 |
Paper and Printing | Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin | 1985 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 2 |
Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Magisteries of Gold and Immortality | Lu Gwei-djen (collaborator) | 1974 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 3 |
Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Historical Survey, from Cinnabar Elixirs to Synthetic Insulin | Ho Ping-Yu and Lu Gwei-djen (collaborators) | 1976 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 4 |
Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Apparatus and Theory | Lu Gwei-djen (collaborator), with contributions by Nathan Sivin | 1980 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 5 |
Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Physiological Alchemy | Lu Gwei-djen (collaborator) | 1983 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 6 |
Military Technology: Missiles and Sieges | Robin D.S. Yates, Krzysztof Gawlikowski, Edward McEwen, Wang Ling (collaborators) | 1994 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 7 |
Military Technology: The Gunpowder Epic | Ho Ping-Yu, Lu Gwei-djen, Wang Ling (collaborators) | 1987 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 8 |
"Work in progress" | |||
| Vol. 5, Part 9 |
Textile Technology: Spinning and Reeling | Dieter Kuhn | 1988 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 10 |
"Work in progress" | |||
| Vol. 5, Part 11 |
Ferrous Metallurgy | Donald B. Wagner | 2008 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 12 |
Ceramic Technology | Rose Kerr, Nigel Wood, contributions by Ts'ai Mei-fen and Zhang Fukang | 2004 | |
| Vol. 5, Part 13 |
Mining | Peter Golas | 1999 | |
| Vol. 6, Part 1 |
Botany | Lu Gwei-djen (collaborator), with contributions by Huang Hsing-Tsung | 1986 | |
| Vol. 6, Part 2 |
Agriculture | Francesca Bray | 1984 | |
| Vol. 6, Part 3 |
Agroindustries and Forestry | Christian A. Daniels and Nicholas K. Menzies | 1996 | |
| Vol. 6, Part 4 |
Biology and Biological Technologies: Traditional Botany: an ethnobotanical approach | Georges Métailie | 2015 | |
| Vol. 6, Part 5 |
Fermentations and Food Science | Huang Hsing-Tsung | 2000 | |
| Vol. 6, Part 6 |
Medicine | Lu Gwei-djen, Nathan Sivin (editor) | 2000 | |
| Vol. 7, Part 1 |
Language and Logic | Christoph Harbsmeier | 1998 | |
| Vol. 7, Part 2 |
General Conclusions and Reflections | Kenneth Girdwood Robinson (editor), Ray Huang (collaborator), introduction by Mark Elvin | 2004 | OCLC |
Summaries
There have been two summaries or condensations of the vast amount of material found in Science and Civilisation. The first, a one-volume popular history book by Robert Temple entitled The Genius of China, was completed in a little over 12 months to be available in 1986 for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to China. This addressed only the contributions made by China and had a "warm welcome" from Joseph Needham in the introduction, though in the Beijing Review he criticized that it had "some mistakes ... and various statements that I would like to have seen expressed rather differently".[4] A second was made by Colin Ronan, a writer on the history of science, who produced a five volume condensation The Shorter Science and Civilisation: An abridgement of Joseph Needham's original text, between 1980 and his death in 1995.[5] These volumes cover:
- China and Chinese science
- Mathematics, astronomy, meteorology and the earth sciences
- Magnetism, nautical technology, navigation, voyages
- Mechanical engineering, machines, clockwork, windmills, aeronautics
- Civil engineering, roads, bridges, hydraulic engineering
Editions
- Needham, Joseph (1954), Science and Civilisation in China: Introductory Orientations, 1, Cambridge University Press
References
Citations
- ↑ Modern Library, 1999. 100 Best Nonfiction."
- ↑ "Science and Civilisation in China". Needham Research Institute. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ↑ volume 5, part 11, page xxxii
- ↑ Ling Yuan (Mar 23, 1987). "East-West: Bridging the Scientific Chasm" (PDF). Beijing Review. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ↑ Colin Ronan (1980–95). The Shorter Science and Civilisation. Cambridge University Press.
Sources
- Robert Finlay, "China, the West, and World History in Joseph Needham's Science and Civilisation in China," Journal of World History 11 (Fall 2000): 265-303.
- Justin. Lin, "The Needham Puzzle: Why the Industrial Revolution Did Not Originate in China," Economic development and cultural change 43.2 (1995): 269-292. JSTOR link
External links
- Science and Civilisation in China on Google Books
- Jim's life
- Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Magisteries of Gold and Immortality
- Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Historical Survey, from Cinnabar Elixirs to Synthetic Insulin
- Spagyrical Discovery and Invention: Apparatus and Theory
- Ceramic Technology
- Fermentations and Food Science
- General Conclusions and Reflections