- Published: 4 April 2023
- ISBN: 9780241986264
- Imprint: Penguin General UK
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 464
- RRP: $26.99
Horizons
A Global History of Science

















- Published: 4 April 2023
- ISBN: 9780241986264
- Imprint: Penguin General UK
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 464
- RRP: $26.99
An important milestone
British Journal for the History of Science, on Materials of the Mind
The freshest history of the strangest science
Alison Bashford, author of Global Population, on Materials of the Mind
Ambitious, riveting, Poskett tracks the global in so many senses . . . vital reading on some of the most urgent concerns facing the world history of science
Sujit Sivasundaram, University of Cambridge, on Materials of the Mind
Terrific . . . [Makes] a substantial contribution to understanding the universalizing properties of science and technology in history
Janet Browne, Harvard University, on Materials of the Mind
This is the kind of history we need: it opens our eyes to the ways in which what we know today has been uncovered thanks to a worldwide team effort
Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds
The righting of the historical record makes Horizons a deeply satisfying read. We learn about a fascinating group of people engaged in scientific inquiry all over the world. Even more satisfyingly, Horizons demonstrates that the most famous scientists - Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein among them - couldn't have made their discoveries without the help of their global contacts
Valerie Hansen, author of The Year 1000
A provocative examination of major contributions to science made outside Europe and the USA, from ancient to modern times, explained in relation to global historical events. I particularly enjoyed the stories of individuals whose work tends to be omitted from standard histories of science
Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures
A wonderful, timely reminder that scientific advancement is, and has always been, a global endeavour
Patrick Roberts, author of Jungle
A useful corrective that brings us closer to a more accurate history of Western science - one which recognises Europe, not as exceptional, but as learning from the world
Angela Saini, author of Superior
This treasure trove of a book puts the case persuasively and compellingly that modern science did not develop solely in Europe. Hugely important
Jim Al-Khalili, author of Paradox
Remarkable. Challenges almost everything we know about science in the West
Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps
From palatial Aztec botanic gardens to Qing Dynasty evolutionary theories, Horizons upends traditional accounts of the history of science, showing how curiosity and intellectual exploration was, and is, a global phenomenon
Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred
This perspective-shattering book challenges our Eurocentric narrative by spotlighting the work of historically neglected scientists
Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice'
Brilliant . . . In this revolutionary and revelatory book, James Poskett not only gives us a truly worldwide history of science, but explains how international connections have stimulated scientific advances through time
Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors
Superb . . . Poskett rightly highlights the shamefully overlooked contributions of Indian, Chinese and Japanese scientists
Stephen Bleach, Sunday Times
A fundamental retelling of the story of science . . . Poskett deftly blends the achievements of little-known figures into the wider history of science . . . brims with clarity
Chris Allnutt, Financial Times
European scientists for centuries served the political goals of empire building, which was based on slave trading, military power, oppression and violence . . . Poskett hopes for a future where the historic truth about how scientific progress has been made is universally accepted, where all cultures are valued, and where global scientific collaboration unleashes the creativity to solve problems such as climate change
Sean Duke, Irish Times
Poskett's book is invaluable, an important and timely reminder that the world we live in has never been small or unknown, but that sharing knowledge, as well as credit, and working together, is the key to a better future
Matt Lewis, History Hit
Horizons shows that the story of science has always been a planetary one: a non-linear process of cross-fertilisation, competition, cooperation and conflict . . . What makes the book so engrossing is that Poskett's grasp of historical contexts is as firm as his scientific knowledge
Matthew d'Ancona, Tortoise
An honest conversation about the history of science is therefore not just of moral importance - it is part of what makes discovery possible
Will Dunn, New Statesman
A lively story of global collaboration in the study of nature from 1500 to the present day . . . rich and lucid
Dmitri Levitin, Literary Review
Science's internationalism is well recognized. But scientists tend to regard it as a recent phenomenon that arose from the 'big science' of the twentieth century, rather than one with a history of more than 500 years going back to the Islamic science that inspired astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, and beyond, observes historian James Poskett. His revisionary "global history" boldly rebuts this
Andrew Robinson, Nature
Generation after generation, people in western countries have been educated to believe that the history of modern science began primarily in the 17th century in western Europe. In a book of breathtaking range and high quality, Poskett dismantles that narrow version of events and produces a genuinely global history
Best Summer Books of 2022: History', Financial Times
Horizons forces me to think outside my Eurocentric box and puts science at the centre of world history
David Reynolds, New Statesman, Books of the Year 2022
I've been really impressed by Horizons: A Global History of Science by James Poskett. The book is exactly what it says on the cover: it's a way of looking at the world of science and the development of technology from a genuinely global perspective. The narrative starts with the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan [on the site of modern-day Mexico City] and the engineering marvels that were present there, built long before the Spanish turned up during their conquest in the early modern era. Poskett also discusses Arab science, Chinese science and the story of science in the west, which is better known. So it's a truly global and really well-written and engaging account
Rana Mitter, BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year 2022