The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity

A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton ISBN: 9781400841523
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: November 28, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
ISBN: 9781400841523
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: November 28, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

From the names of cruise lines and bookstores to an Australian ranch and a nudist camp outside of Atlanta, the word serendipity--that happy blend of wisdom and luck by which something is discovered not quite by accident--is today ubiquitous. This book traces the word's eventful history from its 1754 coinage into the twentieth century--chronicling along the way much of what we now call the natural and social sciences.

The book charts where the term went, with whom it resided, and how it fared. We cross oceans and academic specialties and meet those people, both famous and now obscure, who have used and abused serendipity. We encounter a linguistic sage, walk down the illustrious halls of the Harvard Medical School, attend the (serendipitous) birth of penicillin, and meet someone who "manages serendipity" for the U.S. Navy.

The story of serendipity is fascinating; that of The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity, equally so. Written in the 1950s by already-eminent sociologist Robert Merton and Elinor Barber, the book--though occasionally and most tantalizingly cited--was intentionally never published. This is all the more curious because it so remarkably anticipated subsequent battles over research and funding--many of which centered on the role of serendipity in science. Finally, shortly after his ninety-first birthday, following Barber's death and preceding his own by but a little, Merton agreed to expand and publish this major work.

Beautifully written, the book is permeated by the prodigious intellectual curiosity and generosity that characterized Merton's influential On the Shoulders of Giants. Absolutely entertaining as the history of a word, the book is also tremendously important to all who value the miracle of intellectual discovery. It represents Merton's lifelong protest against that rhetoric of science that defines discovery as anything other than a messy blend of inspiration, perspiration, error, and happy chance--anything other than serendipity.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From the names of cruise lines and bookstores to an Australian ranch and a nudist camp outside of Atlanta, the word serendipity--that happy blend of wisdom and luck by which something is discovered not quite by accident--is today ubiquitous. This book traces the word's eventful history from its 1754 coinage into the twentieth century--chronicling along the way much of what we now call the natural and social sciences.

The book charts where the term went, with whom it resided, and how it fared. We cross oceans and academic specialties and meet those people, both famous and now obscure, who have used and abused serendipity. We encounter a linguistic sage, walk down the illustrious halls of the Harvard Medical School, attend the (serendipitous) birth of penicillin, and meet someone who "manages serendipity" for the U.S. Navy.

The story of serendipity is fascinating; that of The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity, equally so. Written in the 1950s by already-eminent sociologist Robert Merton and Elinor Barber, the book--though occasionally and most tantalizingly cited--was intentionally never published. This is all the more curious because it so remarkably anticipated subsequent battles over research and funding--many of which centered on the role of serendipity in science. Finally, shortly after his ninety-first birthday, following Barber's death and preceding his own by but a little, Merton agreed to expand and publish this major work.

Beautifully written, the book is permeated by the prodigious intellectual curiosity and generosity that characterized Merton's influential On the Shoulders of Giants. Absolutely entertaining as the history of a word, the book is also tremendously important to all who value the miracle of intellectual discovery. It represents Merton's lifelong protest against that rhetoric of science that defines discovery as anything other than a messy blend of inspiration, perspiration, error, and happy chance--anything other than serendipity.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Envy in Politics by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Money by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book The Microtheory of Innovative Entrepreneurship by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book The Collected Works of Spinoza, Volume I by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Nonplussed! by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Of Privacy and Power by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book The Crisis of American Foreign Policy by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Choosing Your Battles by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book The Big Problem of Small Change by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Manufacturing Ideology by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book American Mythos by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Americans at the Gate by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book The Seduction of Unreason by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book Protestants Abroad by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
Cover of the book The "Book of Common Prayer" by Elinor Barber, Robert K. Merton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy