The travels and adventures of serendipity : a study in sociological semantics and the sociology of science / Robert K. Merton, Elinor Barber.

Princeton, N.J. ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, [2004], ©2004.

xxv, 313 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Includes bibliographical references (p. [299]-301) and indexes.

The origins of serendipity -- Early diffusion of serendipity -- Accidental discovery in science : Victorian opinion -- Stock responses to serendipity -- The qualities of serendipity -- Dictionaries and "serendipity" -- The social history of serendipity -- Moral implications of serendipity -- The diverse significance of serendipity in science -- Serendipity as ideology and politics of science.