Frank Rexroth's cultural history, translated from the German by John Burden, focuses on the 'scientific revolution' of the 11th-13th centuries in the West. It is divided into ten chapters, arranged both chronologically and thematically, and summarized at the end in a brief Epilogue.

In the first chapter, "Against the Clock", the author presents his method and claims the right to practice 'A Productive Anachronism'. He reviews and criticizes earlier theories on the advent of a modern conception of science, then presents his own thesis: in the central Middle Ages, a 'scientific revolution' took place, whereby science began to be cultivated for its own sake: "What makes the years between about 1050 and 1250 so attractive for our undertaking is that they form the first era since antiquity in which European science took on a selfreferential quality (the Islamic parts of Europe were ahead in this regard). In other words, medieval science developed an internal dialogue that enabled it to define itself without constantly seeking outside approval from religion or sovereign, and to avoid wasting valuable energy communicating with these external agents." (11).