"Until approximately the end of the nineteenth century, the major scientific books were written for a lay audience. Their authors—men like [[Galileo]], and [[Isaac Newton]], and [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]—were not averse to being read by specialists in their fields; indeed, they wanted to reach such readers. But there was as yet no institutionalized specialization in those days, days which [[Albert Einstein|Eintstein]] called “the happy childhood of science.” Intelligent and well-read persons were expected to read scientific books as well as history and philosophy; there were no hard and fast distinctions, no boundaries that could not be crossed. **There was also none of the disregard for the general or lay reader that is manifest in contemporary scientific writing. Most modern scientists do not care what lay readers think, and so they do not even try to reach them**." ([Location 3654](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004PYDAPE&location=3654)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[reading-books]] **Source** -- [[20250103084100 - B - How to Read a Book]]