The romantic generation and the discovery of the beauty and terror of science holmes, richard on. Palacio includes books wonder, the julian chapter, pluto. Holmes s enthralling book itself exemplifies those qualities fostered by a scientific culture. The age of wonder by richard holmes what would the founders. Physics today the opening words of richard holmess the age of wonder couldnt be calmer, but the charge embedded within them ignited an era that merits his soaring title. Mar 14, 2012 the age of wonder is part biography and part history with a few subtle observations by the books author slipped in here and there. Holmes, author of a muchadmired biography of coleridge, focuses on prominent british.
A world where people were both fascinated, repelled and terrified of these discoveries. What was discovered, whether in labs or in the cliffs of tahiti, excited and inspired everyone. While the book clearly outlines the scientific thinking of those times, it also. One dimension of holmess book is to offer a history of that organisation. The romantic imagination was inspired, not alienated, by scientific advances, argues this captivating history. The washington post in this big twohearted river of a book, the twin energies of scientific curiosity and poetic invention pulsate on every page. Martin rees, baron rees of ludlow, om, frs, former master of trinity college, cambridge, emeritus professor of cosmology and astrophysics at the university of cambridge and the astronomer royal, chooses the age of wonder by richard holmes. It has been inspired by the scientific ferment that swept through britain at the end of the 18th century, and which holmes now radically redefines as the revolution of romantic science. The age of wonder is stirring reading for anyone interested in the lives of extraordinary, worldaltering people. Richard gordon heath holmes was born on 5 november 1945, in london. Making good on the book s subtitle, he takes us on a dazzling tour of their chaotic british observatories and fatal explorations in african jungles, showing us how the.
When young joseph banks stepped onto a tahitian beach in 1769, he hoped to discover paradise. The age of wonderis a colorful and utterly absorbing 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. Science feels sexy in the age of wonder evoking an era when science was both glamorous and dangerous, the age of wonder is the most fascinating book of. Richard holmes takes us up with the first balloonists soaring from earth in the 1780s. Inspired by the scientific ferment sweeping through britain, the botanist had sailed with captain. The age of wonder covers the age of scientific discovery at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century in england. Richard holmess amazingly ambitious book about the romantics fuses history, art, science, philosophy and biography and makes a. The age of wonder by richard holmes, recreates for you the thinking of the late 18th and mid19th centuries. Richard holmes has 32 books on goodreads with 49197 ratings. Common law, the one that set his book apart from the others and the one that later was to. The age of wonder is richard holmes s first major work of. It makes no sense to talk of romantic subjectivity versus scientific objectivity in an age when.
In this big twohearted river of a book, the twin energies of scientific curiosity and poetic invention pulsate on every page. The age of wonder is richard holmes s first major work of biography in over a decade. The author focuses primarily on the lives of two men who straddled both worlds, who embraced romantic science and pursued it with the. Books by richard holmes author of the age of wonder. In the age of wonder, richard holmes chronicles the riveting breakthroughs that launched the romantic age of science. Richard holmes who is almost unfairly gifted both as a writer of living, luminous prose and as a tireless researcher braids herschels story together with a dozen others to create the most joyful, exciting book of the year.
Ive been fascinated by a new book, the age of wonder, by richard holmes. Richard holmes, prizewinning biographer of coleridge and shelley, explores the scientific ferment that swept across britain at the end of 18th century in this groundbreaking new biography. The pursuit won the somerset maugham award and was described by stephen spender as surely the best biography of shell. After reading the age of wonder, i challenge you to forget cometchaser caroline herschels brave and lonely telescopic sweeps of the heavens, or dr. Scientists, like poets, need a sense of wonder, a sense of humility and a sense of humour. Im not a scientist, but i understood all the science, and i found myself wanting to know more. Richard holmes s most popular book is songs of innocence and of experience. Banks was, author richard holmes suggests, a romantic hero, the first of many who would change europes perception of science, nature and the very universea change historian richard holmes calls the age of wonder, the title of his latest book. The pursuit, was published in 1974 and won a somerset maugham award. Richard holmes, in his new book, the age of wonder, describes the 18thcentury balloonists as they first escaped the confines of terra firma in their envelopes of gas. Oct 01, 2008 the age of wonder is richard holmes first major work of biography for a decade. The first balloon crossing of the english channel 7th january 1785. Richard holmess most popular book is songs of innocence and of experience.
He talks about how scientists and poets were very much aligned in the age of enlightenment, around 1800. How the romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science by richard holmesjenny uglow marvels at. Richard holmess amazingly ambitious book about the romantics fuses history, art, science, philosophy and biography and makes a splendid case for treating the history of science in a. Jul 09, 2009 richard holmess amazingly ambitious book about the romantics fuses history, art, science, philosophy and biography and makes a splendid case for treating the history of science in a bright. He is a fellow of the royal society of literature and a fellow of the british academy. The second half of the book partially resolves into a finely observed biography of.
And holmes is an intrepid and artful explorer of what makes these scientists create. He was educated at downside school, somerset, and churchill college, cambridge. The age of wonder is richard holmes first major work of biogr. Jul 14, 2009 the age of wonder is a colorful and utterly absorbing 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. Above all, perhaps, we need the three things that a scientific culture can sustain. How the romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science by richard holmes. In his radiant new book, the age of wonder, holmes treats us to the amazing lives of the pioneering sailors and balloonists, astronomers and chemists of the romantic era. Richard holmes is the author of the age of wonder, which was shortlisted for. This page contains details about the nonfiction book the age of wonder. How the romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science is a 2008 popular biography book about the history of science written by richard holmes. Herschel, a pure amateur, went on to discover uranus. Richard holmes s book shows us this world, where science and the arts were not yet distinct but complementary.
How the romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science is a 2008 popular science book about the history of science written by. Biographer richard holmes was born in london, england on 5 november 1945 and educated at downside school and churchill college, cambridge. Shortlisted for the bbc samuel johnson prize for nonfiction shortlisted for the royal society prize for science book richard holmes, prizewinning biographer of coleridge and shelley, explores the scientific ferment that swept across britain at the end of the 18th century in his groundbreaking new biography the age of wonder. Oliver sacks on the age of wonder oliver sacks is the author of musicophilia, awakenings,the man who mistook his wife for a hat, and many other.
The second half of the book partially resolves into a finely observed biography of humphry davy, the great. Learning how and when great poets and great scientists met one another, read each others work, or absorbed each others speculations and discoveries makes reading the age of wonder an especially ecstatic adventure. Apr 26, 2011 the age of wonder by richard holmes, recreates for you the thinking of the late 18th and mid19th centuries. At another, holmess book is a persuasive plea to heal the pointless. Jun 16, 2011 the age of wonder is a colorful and utterly absorbing 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.
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