The Age of Wonder
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Review
'Exuberant… Holmes suffuses his book with the joy, hope and wonder of the revolutionary era. Reading it is like a holiday in a sunny landscape, full of fascinating bypaths that lead to unexpected vistas… it succeeds inspiringly'’ John Carey, Sunday Times
‘I am a Richard Holmes addict. He is an incomparable biographer, but in The Age of Wonder, he rises to new heights and becomes the biographer not of a single figure, but of an entire unique period, when artist and scientist could share common aims and ambitions and a common language … Only Holmes, who is so deeply versed in the people and culture of eighteenth-century science, could tell their story with such verve and resonance for our own time.’ Oliver Sacks
'"The Age of Wonder" gives us… a new model for scientific exploration and poetic expression in the Romantic period. Informative and invigorating, generous and beguiling, it is, indeed, wonderful' Jenny Uglow, Guardian
'This is a book to linger over, to savour the tantalising details of the minor figures… "The Age of Wonder" allows readers to recapture the combined thrill of emerging scientific order and imaginative creativity’ Lisa Jardine, Financial Times
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.Praise for Sidetracks
'A masterful study of the human heart - his, yours, mine - demonstrating that, in the right hands, biography can be the most dazzling literary form of all.' Sara Wheeler, Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
88 of 92 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm not a scientist. I have only a passing interest in the history of science. However, I'm c250 pages in and I am gripped. Holmes has the narrative skill of a great novelist, conjuring worlds and characters out of what could have so easily have been dry facts. Starting with Joseph Banks' experiences in Tahiti (he travelled as part of Cook's expedition), Holmes takes the reader into the mindset of the European encountering new, unknown worlds. In particular - in this case - their complex responses to the Tahitians' more open attitudes towards sex and sexuality. And that is one of the greatest strengths of the book. Whether it's dealing with Herschel and the discovery or Uranus or Davy and his lamp, The Age of Wonder is as much about the late 18th/early 19th century mind as it is about the science and scientists. Indeed, the book sees science through the eyes of the romantic movement (and a Britain in love with romanticism), so Coleridge, Keats and the Shelleys become major players in the narrative. Despite the focus on Herschel and Davy and their particular discoveries, the reader is compellingly immersed in a far wider exploration of ideas and culture in this period. The widespread excitement that scientific discovery generated is palpable and you can't help feeling that we have lost something very important in a world where science and the arts are so often perceived as near polar opposites. Wholeheartedly recommended to anyone in search of a rattling good read this Christmas, especially those who don't think that science is their pigeon.
45 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was given this as a Christmas present. Richard Holmes crafts a fascinating story that brings fully to life the period covered (late 18th and early 19th centuries). I was hooked from the first page as the exploits, discoveries and tribulations of Joseph Banks, William and Caroline Herschel, Mungo Park, Humphry Davy and a cast of other leading 'scientists' were woven together in a wonderful tapestry (no pun intended). Richard Holmes' prose is fluent and captivating. This is one book that really lives up to the blurb on the cover. Read it!
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There are plenty books written on modern science, exploration (geographical and scientific), fledgling scientific breakthroughs, romantic poetry, human psychology and biographies of major scientific protagonists (with all their vanities and petty jealousies, as well as their soft, fuzzy side) - but all this in ONE book? It's a masterpiece, beautifully written, wittily observed and carefully footnoted. Every page a delight.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I'd give it four and a half stars
I have read a couple of dozen popular science books since retiring and this is in the top three of my all time favourites. Read more
Published 6 months ago by G. Brooks
`Science is truly a relay race, with each discovery handed on to the...
Richard Holmes dates the period of Romantic science as extending (at least symbolically) between two celebrated voyages of exploration: Captain Cook's expedition around the world... Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. Cameron-Smith
a time of gentle enlightenment
This book explains the major scientific discoveries of the romantic period ,the formation of the 'royal society' & the realisation that science was useful to mankind . Read more
Published 9 months ago by D. S. Sample
Inspiring
This book has truly changed my life.
I never considered myself scientific until I was recommended to read this. Read more
I never considered myself scientific until I was recommended to read this. Read more
Published 10 months ago by MrsM
Science is the poetry of reality
This is a very interesting book that beautifully, almost cinematically, narrates the history of science and its relationship with poetry in the Romantic era in late 18th and early... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Feanorous
Fantastic read!
I am writing this review not because I have something original to add compared to the other reviews, but mainly to increase the number of people who appreciate this book for its... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Adina Casas
Wonderful
This is an inspirational book for those interested in the late 18th and early 19th century. It reads quite beautifully, is immensely accessible, hugely informative and most... Read more
Published 14 months ago by S. Ainsworth
Insufferable and sloppy English
If you are sensitive to the way English is written, and to questions of accuracy, avoid this book. Here are some examples:
- C 'knitted' stockings (p80) which earlier... Read more
- C 'knitted' stockings (p80) which earlier... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Giles Penfold
the age of wonder
I was delighted to receive this book as a Christmas present. I put it on my wish list after hearing about it on Radio 4 Start The Week. Read more
Published 16 months ago by vera
tedious
Ok, I get it. It is about age of romance. But book is filled with useless and petty information on personal lives and scientific breakthroughs ... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Veera Senthil
Listmania!
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