Chemist and physicist Marie Curie reminisces about her and her husband's efforts to isolate the element radium. Greek historian Herodotus observes the Nile Valley and concludes that it was once under water. Astronomer and author Carl Sagan argues against assertions that aliens regularly visit Earth. These are among the literary gems Edmund Blair Bolles includes in Galileo's Commandment: An Anthology of Great Science Writing. Bolles has scoured the literature of science to build a treasury that is accessible and riveting, and therefore appealing to readers unfamiliar with science, yet erudite enough for the scientifically initiated reader to enjoy.