A History of Technology; Volume II: The Mediterranean Civilizations and The Middle Ages c. 700 B.C. To c. A.D. 1500

lix, [1], 802 pages with in text illustrations and 44 plates at the end. Footnotes. Tables. Historical Notes. Indexes. Volume II ONLY. This is an ex-library book with library markings on both the dust jacket and in the book. DJ in plastic sleeve affixed to the boards, some soiling, and has tape stains inside flyleaves. The development of technology and the inventions that have marked the progress of civilization from the earliest times are described and examined in light of social, economic, and political trends. Charles Joseph Singer (2 November 1876 - 10 June 1960) was a British historian of science, technology, and medicine. He served as medical officer in the British Army. Trained in medicine, he qualified for medical practice in 1903. He was appointed medical officer on an expedition to the border region between Abyssinia and Sudan. Forced to return to England on his father's death in 1908, he held positions at various hospitals in London until he moved to Oxford in 1914 to work with Sir William Osler. Singer accepted a commission as medical officer in the British Army in 1916, first as a pathologist and then as part of an archaeological expedition. At war's end, he returned to Oxford to lecture on the history of biology. In 1920 he was appointed to a lectureship in the history of medicine at University College of the University of London. He became president of the History of Medicine Society at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, in 1920. Among the contributors were John Waterer, Cyril Aldred, Gisela Richter, Sherwood Taylor, Martin Briggs, Herbert Maryon, Philip Grierson, and Bertrand Gille. Singer continued research into various topics and published several noteworthy books, including editing the monumental A History of Technology, which was released in five volumes between 1954 and 1958. Eric John Holmyard (11 July 1891 - 13 October 1959) was an English science teacher at Clifton College, and historian of science and technology. His scholarly work included rectification of accounts of the history of alchemy, particularly in relation with Islamic science. He translated texts from Arabic and Latin, and wrote extensively on Geber. He was responsible with D. C. Mandeville for the re-attribution of the alchemical text De Mineralibus to an origin in Avicenna. Holmyard served as the founding editor of the scientific review and history of science journal Endeavour. Per Wikipedia: Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word technology can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible products such as tools or machines, and intangible ones such as software. Technology plays a critical role in science, engineering, and everyday life. Technological advancements have led to significant changes in society. The earliest known technology is the stone tool, used during prehistory, followed by the control of fire-which in turn contributed to the growth of the human brain and the development of language during the Ice Age, according to the cooking hypothesis. The invention of the wheel in the Bronze Age allowed greater travel and the creation of more complex machines. More recent technological inventions, including the printing press, telephone, and the Internet, have lowered barriers to communication and ushered in the knowledge economy. While technology contributes to economic development and improves human prosperity, it can also have negative impacts such as pollution and resource depletion, and can cause social harms like technological unemployment resulting from automation. As a result, philosophical and political debates about the role and use of technology, the ethics of technology, and ways to mitigate its downsides are ongoing.…