Reviews for The last sorcerers

The average rating for The last sorcerers based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-06-07 00:00:00 Dina Padaliya The Last Sorcerers by Richard Morris goes into great detail about the history of how the most vital discoveries in chemistry came to be. He delves into the lives of prominent scientists and how their discoveries came to be. Despite the intriguing material, the writing itself lacks any zest. Morris drones on like he's writing a textbook. This absence of entertainment in his work is the reason why this book did not score higher. There are also a few notable grammar errors towards the end of the book that make up no real problem, but may still irk any audience member that picks up on these types of things. The science itself it also very fascinating, and Morris does an excellent job at explaining things in a uncomplicated and passionate manner. But it is more rare than it should that he goes into the scientific aspects. He talks more about unnecessary facts to do with the scientist and their life than the reason their discovery for chemistry was significant. For that reason mainly, I cannot give more than three stars.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-03-11 00:00:00 Jim Clark A well written, breezy account of the history of chemistry, it is definitely not an academic work (no notes) and leaves much out. A good introduction or concise review of the topic's highlights, it is not definitive. Morris also generally avoids noting where their are debates/questions among historians for the sake of the narrative, which can be deceptive. Several very important parts of the history (especially around the develpment of organic chemistry and thd German chemical industry before and during WWI) get very short shrift. There are more thorough accounts, certainly more technical ones. However, few are as engaging or relatable as Morris's. For a non-specialist or those of the general public looking for a concise history of chemistry, this is not the worst, and may be among the best. As a survey of the history of chemistry, on the other hand, it's too concise and non-scholarly to really count. It is the history/literary equivalent of a 45-min TV documentary.