This anthology of the literature of science comprises a collection of English prose, and some poetry, which sets out to demolish the myth that scientists cannot write and science is difficult and dull. The pieces are by scientists both ancient and modern, from Charles Darwin to Richard Dawkins, Isaac Newton to Peter Medawar, William Gilbert to Primo Levi. Also included are writings by such scientifically-minded laymen as H.G.Wells, W.H.Hudson and Arthur Koestler. There are also some surprises: Winston Churchill's accurate prediction (written in 1932) of nuclear energy and the development of biotechnology; Haldane's controversial poem on cancer; Francis Galton's bizarre attempts to measure the vital statistics of a Hottentot woman; and George Steiner's musings over the scientific creativity of men versus women, in which he observes that it is improbable that it was Archimedes himself who ran that famous bath.