History of Sci/Tech/Med in 200 Pages or Less...

The "science.culture" series is edited by Steven Shapin and published by the University of Chicago Press.

The titles are each around 200 pages (or less), and each is authored by an unquestioned leader in the field. Very accessible without being at all "dumbed down."

Here they are:

1. The Scientific Revolution, Steven Shapin, 1996
2. Putting Science in Its Place, David Livingstone, 2003
   
3. Human-Built World, Thomas P. Hughes, 2004
4. The Intelligibility of Nature, Peter Dear, 2006

I suggest purchasing them at a local independent bookstore or through Powells (Shapin; Livingstone; Hughes; Dear).