Rating: 
Summary: A PRECIOUS DISCOVERY
Review: A truly wonderful book. One that should be used as a textbook in History in high school. Easily readable, it takes the reader on a voyage of far reaching proportions. What is it that makes this book so pleasurable and instructive? A fresh approach to the evolution of knowledge and science as experienced historically by the pioneers. The exploration in retrospective of the discovery of the concept of time and the clock, the compass, the telescope, the microscope and the evolutionary description of the knowledge that mankind acquired through these instruments and the bold steps of the pioneers that wondered around the seas, the cosmos, the mind, etc.. Why is it that modern culture, the different cultures and science are the way they are ? You will find a lot of answers about how this came to happen in the book by the former Librarian of Congress and senior historian of the Smithsonian Institution.
After I read this book, the promise made in the Washington Post Book World's review to it, I found fulfilled: "few indeed will be the readers who do not themselves become discoverers....." This book is one of the most outstanding discoveries that I made in my quest for knowledge. You must not overlook it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great big history books.
Review: Being a fan of history I can be very thankful to my friend for recommending this book for me. Here in 650 compact pages is basically the entire history of discovery. From the invention of time to the innovations in agriculture; from voyages of the Europeans to 'new worlds' to the fifteenth century Chinese voyages to Africa; from the discoveries of the mind and anatomy to the discoveries of political and economic thought (Adam Smith, Karl Marx, etc.) It is all in this book.Boorstin uses an exhaustive collection of research to tell the stories of discovery in a very lucid, almost novel-like, style that proves engaging to the very last page. His tellings of the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci and Captain Cook are some of the best parts. But with this being the seventieth review of this book, I doubt there is much more I can offer in summary that has not already been alluded to; but there is one bit of insight I would like to point out. This book is apolitical. The one-hundred or so pages dedicated to the voyages of discovery conducted by Europe from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries are told purely from a standpoint of facts and discoveries. For example: the innovations in map making; new sailing techniques; and the overall impact on social thinking in Europe. Readers looking for any input on the effects of discovery on the native populations of America and elsewhere will have to in turn look elsewhere. The same thinking applies to new political thoughts such as the French Revolution and Marxism: just the facts and the reasons. It is a fun to read factual primer. Read it with that in mind and it is one of the best books on history in recent memory.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great big history books.
Review: Being a fan of history I can be very thankful to my friend for recommending this book for me. Here in 650 compact pages is basically the entire history of discovery. From the invention of time to the innovations in agriculture; from voyages of the Europeans to 'new worlds' to the fifteenth century Chinese voyages to Africa; from the discoveries of the mind and anatomy to the discoveries of political and economic thought (Adam Smith, Karl Marx, etc.) It is all in this book. Boorstin uses an exhaustive collection of research to tell the stories of discovery in a very lucid, almost novel-like, style that proves engaging to the very last page. His tellings of the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci and Captain Cook are some of the best parts. But with this being the seventieth review of this book, I doubt there is much more I can offer in summary that has not already been alluded to; but there is one bit of insight I would like to point out. This book is apolitical. The one-hundred or so pages dedicated to the voyages of discovery conducted by Europe from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries are told purely from a standpoint of facts and discoveries. For example: the innovations in map making; new sailing techniques; and the overall impact on social thinking in Europe. Readers looking for any input on the effects of discovery on the native populations of America and elsewhere will have to in turn look elsewhere. The same thinking applies to new political thoughts such as the French Revolution and Marxism: just the facts and the reasons. It is a fun to read factual primer. Read it with that in mind and it is one of the best books on history in recent memory.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectual History on a Grand Scale
Review: Boorstin surveys the development of many of the key aspects of modern life that are so easy to take for granted (time, anatomy, geography, etc.). His book is incredibly well researched and well-written. While some of his conclusions are controversial, I definitely learned many interesting things.
Rating: 
Summary: Great writing, but it does have shortcomings
Review: Boorstin's amazingly thorough and eminently readable account of 'Man the Discoverer' was a pleasure to read. Instructive without being pedantic, this approach offers history writing at its best. There are few shortcomings, though, that prevent it from a '10' rating. Lack of illustrations limits the book's effectiveness: many geographic areas Boorstin mentions are not commonly known, so maps would be helpful; and complex concepts (such as the "escapement mechanism" in time pieces) are not successfully explained in words, and desparately need pictures to demonstrate what he is talking about. Boorstin is also extremely limited in his discussions of discovery in the 20th century. Einstein is barely mentioned, powered flight isn't discussed, communication revolutions of discovery such as telephone, radio, or television aren't covered, and no mention is made of computers nor the amazing things we've discovered with their use. This does not prevent Boorstin from giving an inordinate amount of attention to other 20th century figures such as Freud in psychiatry or Keynes in economics. (Are these things really "discoveries" in the same sense as the other things he covers in the book??) Overall, this is a fine book, but it could be better.
Rating:
Summary: Is it possible to give six stars???
Review: Boorstin, the former Librarian of Congress, seems to have distilled that entire collection into one book. This is the story of man's inquisitive mind, why some cultures are curious and why others are not. The variety of subjects covered are astonishing - exploration, science, art, politics. Boorstin reminds me of the historian Paul Johnson in that he combines a moving plot line of events with quirky, interesting biographies of the famous and not so famous. This is an epic story stretching from pre-history to the present. One is continually amazed and thrilled at what human beings have thought and accomplished. The author has been quoted as saying that his book was only a prelude to his next work, the Creators. I can hardly wait.
Rating:
Summary: The Discoverers
Review: Fine service from Woodward Books...as usual. Words can't describe it's value! I've ordered an extra copy for my brother...nuff said.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful adventure
Review: I agree with other reviewers here who say that this book should be used in classes, instead of the boring, stiff and uninformative bricks we are given in school. Boorstin, an erudite man if there is one, has a unique skill to deliver complex stories in a most readable and interesting way, and probably the secret lies in that he gives us the human dimension. His book is centered on the persons who made all these discoveries, not on the discoveries themselves, and that makes it all the more appealing. I had read his book "The Creators" (another must-read focused on art) and I think the same element is present. In "The Discoverers", Boorstin takes us by the hand and guides us through the history of Man's search for knowledge. And it is a romp. The cast of characters is as varied as humanity itself, from crazy madmen to admirable heroes of knowledge. Among the ones I remember best: Galileo was a great guy, I would have loved to meet him; Newton not, he was not a nice guy (and I couldn't understand any of his thoughts anyway); Paracelsus was a total whacko; Columbus was admirable in his obstination; Linnaeus was great too; but the guy who discovered metabolism was the craziest of them all. Just imagine a guy weighing his body before and after meals, and then weighing... ugh, his excrements to measure the difference. Thank God somebody did it, but it sounds awful. Read this book and you will learn a lot more than in three years of school.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read
Review: I was moved to write this as I learned of Daniel Boorstin's death. While he is gone, his book, "The Discoverers" will be with us for many years as a classic. I have been in both multi-national and venture environments for thirty years, bringing pioneering advanced medical technologies to the global marketplace. When I stumbled onto "The Discoverers" in 1987, I could not put it down. This is a must book for anyone involved in the process of discovery. Boorstin clearly shows that discovery is the adventure of discovering a fundamental truth... While the earth has always been round and bacteria have been here longer than mankind, our understanding of fundamental 'truths' like these took years to discover. Money, prestige, power, suppressed independent thinking, and laziness all combined to create a 'group think,' a status quo, that was difficult to change. Boorstin shows how 'group think' worked against the acceptance of new ideas, and the eventual discovery of truth. Those who are involved in discovery will recognize that these same obstacles stand in our way today. I have purchased 50+ copies since I bought my first copy. I have given them as gifts to others who have dedicated their lives as entreprenuers, scientists, and/or venture capitalists in an effort to creating a better world. This is a book that tells their story and why they must not give up.
Rating:
Summary: Just as good as the creators
Review: If you liked the creators you will enjoy this audio book. Great for a long car ride. The only problem is that the reader is not top caliber.
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