Travels and Adventures of Serendipity

Robert K. Merton, who died in 2003, was one of the leading sociologists of the twentieth century. His many books include "Social Theory and Social Structure" and "On the Shoulders of Giants". Elinor Barber was, at the time of her death, Research Associate at Columbia University. She is a coauthor of "Bridges to Knowledge" and "Increasing Faculty Diversity". James L. Shulman is Executive Director of ARTstor and a coauthor of "The Game of Life" (Princeton).

• Preface by Robert K. Merton ix Publisher's Note xi Introduction by James L. Shulman xiii Chapter 1: The Origins of Serendipity 1 Chapter 2: Early Diffusion of Serendipity 22 Chapter 3: Accidental Discovery in Science: Victorian Opinion 41 Chapter 4: Stock Responses to Serendipity 61 Chapter 5: The Qualities of Serendipity 88 Chapter 6: Dictionaries and "Serendipity" 104 Chapter 7: The Social History of Serendipity 123 Chapter 8: Moral Implications of Serendipity 149 Chapter 9: The Diverse Significance of Serendipity in Science 158 Chapter 10 Serendipity as Ideology and Politics of Science 199 A Note on Serendipity as a Political Metaphor 219 A Note on Serendipity in the Humanities 223 Afterword: Autobiographical Reflections on The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity by Robert K. Merton 230 Select References 299 Name Index 303 General Index 309

"And so serendipity began its life--a saga of misunderstandings, neglect, resurrection, distortion, celebration and controversy, all of which is chronicled with heroic enterprise and humble wit in The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity... The history remains intact, and the intellectual trajectory outlines by Merton has, if anything, continued with even greater force."--Edward Rothstein, New York Times "An intellectual text, both a pleasure to read and a genuine contribution to scholarship."--Andrew Scull, Times Literary Supplement "A fascinating text that captivates the reader from the start... In the course of following the evolution of the word serendipity, Merton and Barber provide many interesting insights into how new knowledge is produced, not only in the sciences but also in the humanities."--Cristina Gonzalez, Science "A humane, learned and very wise book. It was finished in 1958 and lay in Merton's files until just a few years ago... It is a pity that we had to wait so long for it, since The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity is the great man's greatest achievement."--Steve Shapin, American Scientist "The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity is a vivid study in how words reflect their times and offers an extra delight: Merton's new afterword tracing the journey of the word since he first wrote about it... Merton was a sociologist in the same way Shakespeare could be called a theater person."--Jay Tolson, U.S. News and World Report "The sociologist Robert K. Merton, who died a year ago this month at the age of 92, had a genius for plucking fascinating phenomena out of thin air, giving them names, and changing the way we see the world... Merton might have had his name linked to one more concept, 'serendipity,' but for a peculiar decision of his. He wrote a book on the subject in the 1950s, together with Elinor G. Barber, a Columbia University researcher. Then he had second thoughts and stuffed the manuscript in a drawer. Now as a capstone to the man's brilliant career, Princeton University Press has brought the abandoned book out into English for the first time."--Christopher Shea, Boston Globe "This long awaited, long unpublished manuscript proffers enough of its own pleasures that no connoisseur of eccentric erudition will want to forgo them."--Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World "This is the best written and most entertaining book of sociology ever written."--Philip Howard, The Times (London) "The word 'serendipity' was coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole... Walpole would appreciate the many digressions and diversions that shape the travels and adventures of his lighthearted coinage and the delight with which Merton and Barber tell its story."--Craig Calhoun, Bookforum