The volume begins with an editor's guide explaining how general readers can approach and profit from the sixteen-volume science collection, emphasizing clear explanation and practical use of the index. A compact history surveys scientific development from early civilizations through Greek and Roman eras, the Middle Ages, and major advances in the seventeenth through twentieth centuries, treating physical and natural sciences, evolution, chemistry, geology, medicine, electricity, and radioactivity. The book concludes with an extensive alphabetical general index linking topics to volumes and pages for ready cross-referencing.