Used. Paperback. Simon Winchester brings his signature curiosity to the astonishing life of Joseph Needham, a Cambridge scholar and enthusiastic nudist who set out to chronicle China's staggering technological legacy. This captivating biography unearths how a eccentric polymath revolutionized our understanding of the East by decoding innovations that the West never knew existed. You will marvel at the sheer scope of Needham's intellect, even if you are left wondering how he managed his fieldwork sans wardrobe. It is a wonderfully told tale of scientific discovery and cross-cultural fascination that proves history is rarely clothed in convention.