A riveting history of the men and women whose discoveries and
inventions at the end of the eighteenth century gave birth to the
Romantic Age of Science.
When young Joseph Banks stepped onto a Tahitian beach in 1769, he
hoped to discover Paradise. Inspired by the scientific ferment
sweeping through Britain, the botanist had sailed with Captain Cook
on his first "Endeavour "voyage in search of new worlds. Other
voyages of discovery--astronomical, chemical, poetical,
philosophical--swiftly follow in Richard Holmes's original
evocation of what truly emerges as an Age of Wonder.
Brilliantly conceived as a relay of scientific stories, "The Age of
Wonder" investigates the earliest ideas of deep time and space, and
the explorers of "dynamic science," of an infinite, mysterious
Nature waiting to be discovered. Three lives dominate the book:
William Herschel and his sister Caroline, whose dedication to the
study of the stars forever changed the public conception of the
solar system, the Milky Way, and the meaning of the universe; and
Humphry Davy, who, with only a grammar school education stunned the
scientific community with his near-suicidal gas experiments that
led to the invention of the miners' lamp and established British
chemistry as the leading professional science in Europe. This age
of exploration extended to great writers and poets as well as
scientists, all creators relishing in moments of high exhilaration,
boundary-pushing and discovery.
Holmes's extraordinary evocation of this age of wonder shows how
great ideas and experiments--both successes and failures--were born
of singular and often lonely dedication, and how religious faith
and scientific truth collide. He has written a book breathtaking in
its originality, its storytelling energy, and its intellectual
significance.
"From the Hardcover edition."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
