Winner of the History of Science Society Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize


Boorstin's companion volume to The Creators and The Seekers is a vivid, sweeping, and original history of human discovery.

“Compellingly readable . . . a remarkable narrative of the grand intellectual venture of humankind, rich in fascinating, often dramatic details.” —The Wall Street Journal

“History written in the grand style. . . . I cannot readily recall another book from which I learned so many new things...few indeed will be the readers who do not themselves become discoverers.” —Washington Post Book World
Book One: Time
The Heavenly Empire
From Sun Time to Clock Time
The Missionary Clock

Book Two: The Earth and the Seas
The Geography of the Imagination
Paths to the East
Doubling the World
The American Surprise
Sea Paths to Everywhere

Book Three: Nature
Seeing the Invisible
Inside Ourselves
Science Goes Public
Cataloguing the Whole Creation

Book Four: Society
Widening the Communities of Knowledge
Opening the Past
Surveying the Present
Daniel J. Boorstin was the author of The Americans, a trilogy (The Colonial Experience, The National Experience, and The Democratic Experience) that won the Francis Parkman Prize, the Bancroft Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize. In 1989, he received the National Book Award for lifetime contribution to literature. He was the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, and for twelve years served as the Librarian of Congress. He died in 2004. View titles by Daniel J. Boorstin

About

Winner of the History of Science Society Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize


Boorstin's companion volume to The Creators and The Seekers is a vivid, sweeping, and original history of human discovery.

“Compellingly readable . . . a remarkable narrative of the grand intellectual venture of humankind, rich in fascinating, often dramatic details.” —The Wall Street Journal

“History written in the grand style. . . . I cannot readily recall another book from which I learned so many new things...few indeed will be the readers who do not themselves become discoverers.” —Washington Post Book World

Table of Contents

Book One: Time
The Heavenly Empire
From Sun Time to Clock Time
The Missionary Clock

Book Two: The Earth and the Seas
The Geography of the Imagination
Paths to the East
Doubling the World
The American Surprise
Sea Paths to Everywhere

Book Three: Nature
Seeing the Invisible
Inside Ourselves
Science Goes Public
Cataloguing the Whole Creation

Book Four: Society
Widening the Communities of Knowledge
Opening the Past
Surveying the Present

Author

Daniel J. Boorstin was the author of The Americans, a trilogy (The Colonial Experience, The National Experience, and The Democratic Experience) that won the Francis Parkman Prize, the Bancroft Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize. In 1989, he received the National Book Award for lifetime contribution to literature. He was the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, and for twelve years served as the Librarian of Congress. He died in 2004. View titles by Daniel J. Boorstin

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more