kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
There's kind of two things Lemonick lifts up in this biographical walk-thru of William Herschel's many astronomical accomplishments: how under rated he is now, and the value of plodding, detail-driven science such as Herschel underwent cataloguing the skies night after night in terrible weather and cold with primitive (to modern eyes) instruments.
I also wish Lemonick had done the same with Caroline, lifted her up more through primary snippets from her diaries and painted a clearer picture of who she was and her remarkable life (she got lots of honorary rewards for her work with William) spent in the pursuit of science. Now I understand, of course, that it is likely that there aren't alot of primary sources left to help paint this picture. However, Lemonick made it sound like Caroline basically was the person responsible for all the drudge work required for John to do the extensive sweeps of the heavens that lead to his many theories about nebulae, planets vs comets, the origination of the word asteroid, the nature of sunspots, etc.
Still, considering what William Herschel had to work with, this account of his many skills as glass-maker and polisher, music talents, and methodical observations and theories is really impressive. This book makes him out as the person who lay the groundwork for modern astronomy.
The beginning of the book that focuses on his travels in Europe as a band director and composer are also interesting as a look at how folks could make a living with music during that era. The sciencey bits were well-explained for lay people in the story.
Very interesting look at sibling astronomers, William and Caroline Herschel.
I also wish Lemonick had done the same with Caroline, lifted her up more through primary snippets from her diaries and painted a clearer picture of who she was and her remarkable life (she got lots of honorary rewards for her work with William) spent in the pursuit of science. Now I understand, of course, that it is likely that there aren't alot of primary sources left to help paint this picture. However, Lemonick made it sound like Caroline basically was the person responsible for all the drudge work required for John to do the extensive sweeps of the heavens that lead to his many theories about nebulae, planets vs comets, the origination of the word asteroid, the nature of sunspots, etc.
Still, considering what William Herschel had to work with, this account of his many skills as glass-maker and polisher, music talents, and methodical observations and theories is really impressive. This book makes him out as the person who lay the groundwork for modern astronomy.
The beginning of the book that focuses on his travels in Europe as a band director and composer are also interesting as a look at how folks could make a living with music during that era. The sciencey bits were well-explained for lay people in the story.
Very interesting look at sibling astronomers, William and Caroline Herschel.
jasonfurman's review against another edition
3.0
A workmanlike biography of a workmanlike figure. This biography focuses on William Herschel and his sister Caroline. Their major accomplishment was the discovery of Uranus, the first new planet to be discovered since around the time of the Babylonians. Although I was somewhat disappointed to learn that Herschel was neither the first to see it and that even after months of detailed observations he thought it was a small, near-by comet -- and only after others decided it was a planet did he go along. In addition to being a keen observer, Herschel was also a top-notch instrument maker and a theoretician.
It's not entirely obvious that it is the fault of the biographer (Michael Lemonick), but somehow the book is not as interesting as one might have hoped. It spends too much time on Herschel's early life as a court musician, which is not really informative about his future scientific pursuits nor is it a topic that is intrinsically interesting enough to justify spending much time reading. Lemonick is good on the science and context, but somehow that too ends up not being overly exciting or revealing.
But none of these are obvious faults or flaws, just not the highest priority book I would recommend reading.
It's not entirely obvious that it is the fault of the biographer (Michael Lemonick), but somehow the book is not as interesting as one might have hoped. It spends too much time on Herschel's early life as a court musician, which is not really informative about his future scientific pursuits nor is it a topic that is intrinsically interesting enough to justify spending much time reading. Lemonick is good on the science and context, but somehow that too ends up not being overly exciting or revealing.
But none of these are obvious faults or flaws, just not the highest priority book I would recommend reading.
nurly_whirly's review against another edition
4.0
A great, concise history of a truly influential scientist
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