This set presents readers in grades six and up with information surveying the study of science through the ages. Each volume discusses a specific time period, region, or area of science. Arrangement is, for the most part, chronological. Volumes 1 through 6 cover science history beginning with the ancient Egyptians and ending with the eighteenth century. There is good coverage of the science of Islam, and volume 3 is devoted to science in China, India, Mesoamerica, and other regions. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries are treated in two volumes each, one covering physical sciences and the other covering life sciences.
Each volume contains 20 well-written topic entries, each covering a region, a branch of science, or a significant concept, discovery, or development. These entries range in length from two to five pages and contain numerous charts, graphs, and illustrations in an appealing layout. Brief biographical outlines for various scientific figures are included where appropriate. Words underlined in the text are defined in the volume-specific glossary. Each volume also contains a table of contents, a time line for the period being covered, resources for further study, and a set index.