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In observation of the bicentenary of Erasmus Darwin's death, Cambridge is publishing this collection of personal writings by his grandson Charles. This is the first unabridged publication of a book by Charles Darwin, and it contains a series of illuminating insights into his grandfather's life and work. With quotations from letters and candid comments by Charles Darwin about his books; and free of the conventions of scientific writing; this small volume of personal observations illuminates the life of a distinguished scientist as seen by his accomplished successor.
It has been said of Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) that no one from his
day to ours has ever rivalled him in his achievements in such a
wide range of fields. He was a far-sighted scientific genius,
fertile in theory and invention, and one of the foremost physicians
of his time. His gift for friendship enabled him to recruit the
members of the Lunar Society of Birmingham which is often seen as
the main intellectual powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in
England. He was especially close to Franklin, Wedgwood, Boulton and
Watt. Towards the end of his life he gained recognition as the
leading English poet in the country, and he deeply influenced
Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Shelley. The most striking of
Darwin's many talents was his extraordinary scientific insight in
physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology and all aspects of biology
-- his deepest insight being his evolutionary theory of life. Two
of his books, the Zoonomia, which made him famous as the leading
medical mind of the 1790s, and The Temple of Nature, a long poem,
show that he believed life developed from microscopic specks in
primeval seas through fishes and amphibians to 'humankind'. But he
failed to convince the world about biological evolution: that was
left to his grandson Charles. Erasmus was the first person to give
a full description of how clouds form and of photosynthesis in
plants. He was also an obsessive inventor of mechanical devices,
among them a speaking machine, a copying machine and the steering
technique used in modern cars. Substantial donations of Darwin
family papers recently to the Cambridge University Library,
including over 170 letters written by Erasmus Darwin himself, have
made it possible for the author to tell much of the enthralling
story of his life in Erasmus' own words. Desmond King-Hele, who is
the leading authority on Erasmus Darwin having studied his life and
work for three decades, is a mathematician and physicist who is an
expert on space research by satellite, in particular on the Earth's
gravity field and the upper atmosphere. A Fellow of the Royal
Society since 1966, he has written fifteen books including a
standard critical work on Shelley, Shelley: His Thought and Work,
and Erasmus Darwin and the Romantic Poets; and he has edited the
Letters of Erasmus Darwin.
Erasmus Darwin has often been cited as the most widely talented man
of the past 250 years. He excelled in medicine and poetry, was an
inventor and wide ranging man of science, and founded several
societies. This 2006 collection of 460 of his letters provides an
insight into the life of this amazing man. Darwin was famous
throughout Britain as a physician; his medical letters to patients
and private letters to his physician son Robert are a rich source
for historians of medicine. His lively letters to the 'Lunar Men',
Boulton, Watt, Keir and Wedgwood, provide insight into the
Industrial Revolution in England. In the 1790s Darwin propounded
the idea of biological evolution, although it was his grandson
Charles who persuaded people to take it seriously. This unique
collection reveals the variety of Erasmus Darwin's talents, and his
wide range of important friendships.
Charles Darwin's book about his grandfather, The Life of Erasmus
Darwin, is curiously fascinating. Before publication in 1879, it
was shortened by 16%, with several of the cuts directed at its most
provocative parts. The cutter, with Charles's permission, was his
daughter Henrietta - an example of the strong hidden hand of
meek-seeming Victorian women. Originally published in 2003, this
first unabridged edition, edited by Desmond King-Hele, includes all
that Charles originally intended, the cuts being restored and
printed in italics. Erasmus Darwin was one of the leading
intellectuals of the eighteenth century. He was a respected
physician, a well-known poet, a keen mechanical inventor, and a
founding member of the influential Lunar Society. He also possessed
an amazing insight into the many branches of physical and
biological science. Most notably, he adopted what we now call
biological evolution as his theory of life, 65 years prior to
Charles Darwin's Origin of Species.
Erasmus Darwin has often been cited as the most widely talented man
of the past 250 years. He excelled in medicine and poetry; was an
inventor and wide ranging man of science, and founded several
societies. This collection of 460 of his letters, of which over
half have never been published, provides an insight into the life
of this amazing man. Darwin was famous throughout Britain as a
physician; his medical letters to patients and private letters to
his physician son Robert are a rich source for historians of
medicine. His lively letters to the 'Lunar Men', Boulton, Watt,
Keir and Wedgwood, provide insight into the Industrial Revolution
in England. In the 1790s Darwin propounded the idea of biological
evolution, although it was his grandson Charles who persuaded
people to take it seriously. This unique collection reveals the
variety of Erasmus Darwin's talents, and his wide range of
important friendships.
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