Author:
Title: A Selection from the Writings of Joseph Needham
Description: London. McFarland. 1990. First edition. Octavo. Hardcover. Fine. No dustjacket. 487 Pages. Needham was a British biochemist best known for his works on the history of Chinese science. He was elected a fellow of both the Royal Society and the British Academy. In China, he is known mainly by his Chinese name Li Yuese. Needham's grand question is why China had been overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite its earlier successes. His works attribute significant weight to the impact of Confucianism and Taoism on the pace of Chinese scientific discovery, and emphasizes what it describes as the diffusionist approach of Chinese science as opposed to a perceived independent inventiveness in the western world.

Keywords: China chinese needham