Dutch Messengers: A History of Science Publishing, 1930-1980

Cees Andriesse (1939) is Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Utrecht. He obtained his doctorate in neutron scattering at the University of Delft. He then moved to Groningen to do research on and theoretical studies in interstellar mediums. Here, he discovered the law of stellar mass loss. He then went on with high-temperature experiments on behalf of the Dutch electricity sector, in order to assess the safety of nuclear reactors. Hereafter he was offered a chair to teach and research energy conversions at the University of Utrecht. It was in this position that he proved that during photosynthesis no net entropy is generated.In addition to scholarly writing Cees Andriesse has also published several books for the general public. These include three essay collections, four novels and three voluminous historical works. In addition to the current volume Cees Andriesse has also published a book on the Life and Works of the seventeenth-century scientist, Christiaan Huygens, and a book about the development of nuclear energy in the Netherlands. The Huygens book has since been translated into both English and French.Cees Andriesse’s work for the general public has resulted in his being invited to join the Society of Dutch Literature (Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde), an honour in the Netherlands.

• PrefaceList of Illustrations1. On Science Publishing2. The Publisher of Huygens and LorentzQuest for the Lingua Franca3. German ScenesTwo Scenes from 1942A Letter and Three Scenes from 1938Two and a Half Scenes from 19334. Elsevier’s VentureThe Encyclopaedia of Organic ChemistryThe Little BeilsteinThe Book of HealthBiochimica et Biophysica Acta5. Frank and his ‘North-Holland’The Choice for PhysicsMonographs on Theoretical and Applied PhysicsThe Quest for Journal Editors6. Beyond PhysicsExcerpta MedicaBiological PublicationsPhilosophical Diversions7. The Associated Scientific PublishersThe Dissolution of BoundariesThe Integration8. Saturation9. Towards the Internet RevolutionManuscript Sources and InterviewsBibliographyIndex

"Andriesse's history is lively and compelling, perhaps surprisingly so for a history of scientific publishing, and he provides the reader with valuable information and provocative insights."Mary Jo Nye, BMGN - The Low Countries Historical Review, 126: 3, 137-138"At times abruptly and unsuspectingly prosaic, Andriesse gives us a book in which context and personal relations expose the historical and human dynamics of the apparently harsh world of science publishing."Arnold Lubbers, University of Amsterdam. In: Library & Information History" A ... breathtaking contribution to the history of Dutch scientific publishing in the world."Berry Dongelmans, Leiden University. In: De Gulden Paser, 89.1 (2011), pp. 91-92.