Michael Matthews edits Science & Education and is central to SHiPS' parent network that also includes science teacher educators and educational research-ers. His volume is a robust description of the history and current status of SHiPS in science education. It includes discussions of the constructivism debate, multicultural approaches, traditional views on realism, and the role of philosophy (both ethics and epistemology) in the classroom. In general, it is more about the field (the virtues and aims of HPS) than it is a guide for those already committed to HPS teaching; it seems especially useful for teacher educators and policy-makers--and for teachers presenting the case to school or district administrators. One chapter on pendular motion demonstrates nicely what it all amounts to in the classroom, offering both a usable case and an exemplar (with commentary) to follow. An extensive bibliography will guide the avid reader to previous HPS science curricula and to further reading on many conceptual issues in pedagogy.

--Douglas Allchin