Making "Nature"

In this, the first book to chronicle the foundation and development of "Nature, " Melinda Baldwin explores the origins and development of this extraordinary publication from its foundation in 1869 to 1995, when John Maddox, the publication s most influential twentieth-century editor, stepped down for the second and final time. She traces how "Nature "went from inauspicious beginnings, as a largely unsuccessful commercial venture, to become the international benchmark for science publication. This pioneering study not only tells "Nature s "story but also sheds light on much larger questions about the history of science publishing, changes in scientific communication, and the shifting notions of scientific community."