The Royal Society is the world's oldest scientific academy in continuous existence; it has been at the forefront of enquiry and discovery since its foundation in 1660. Its Fellows and Members have included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Francis Crick, James Watson and Stephen Hawking – and today include more than 60 Nobel Laureates.

To mark the 350th anniversary of its foundation, the Society has produced a unique, intriguing, thematic history of science and scientific issues from the past 350 years. Each chapter is written by a leading scientist or by a well-known author with proven success in writing about science for the lay reader. The overall approach is broadly chronological, but each historical period or event offers a jumping off point for writers to explore a wide range of themes relating to science and its history.

The book is edited by Bill Bryson, winner in 2004 of the Aventis Science Book Prize for A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING.