gabesteller's review against another edition
4.0
Kinda gave me the feeling like when ur at a museum and your transported to a world where everything seem very under control and well ordered. A vaguely nice book! made me feel better when bernie started losing.
mcparks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, pleasurable book that is written the way I wish all popular science books could be. The book has fairly narrow focus, the stories of several British-based Romantic-era men of science, but the narratives help to explain the feelings and controversies of the time. I especially enjoyed reading about how the profession of full-time scientist developed in this era. While I am not personally very keen on Romantic fiction or poetry, I found the stories behind those writings and the authors' interactions with scientists to be fascinating.
didactylos's review against another edition
3.0
Intriguing how much of all this I didn't know, the pre-Napoleonic period seems neglected . Amazed at the material on the Herschels and how much we owe to self taught explorers of both the stars and telescope technology.
Still reading it......
Somewhere shortly after the Herschels, into the vitality stuff this really slowed to a crawl. I did finsih it but it was a struggle.
Still reading it......
Somewhere shortly after the Herschels, into the vitality stuff this really slowed to a crawl. I did finsih it but it was a struggle.
jonbrammer's review against another edition
4.0
There are a few figures who sit squarely at the center of the British Romantic scientific revolution: Joseph Banks, William Herschel, and Humphry Davy. While Banks was more of an adventurer and advocate than a scientist, Herschel (astronomy) and Davy (chemistry) made their mark by exploring the composition of forms perceived by our senses. Herschel designed and built telescopes that could see further in the cosmos. While he made some technical breakthroughs in scanning the night sky and documenting celestial phenomena, his telescopes were better because he put in the work of polishing larger mirrors. He also had an equally brilliant and industrious assistant, his sister Caroline, who of course did not receive her due for her contribution to the field.
While Herschel gathered observational data to better understand the formation of the universe, Davy pioneered research in chemistry - along with his peers on the continent, he made great strides in our understanding of the elemental composition of the world. These "natural philosophers" were autodidacts and interdisciplinary: they were friends with Coleridge, Southey, and Wordsworth.
The author's narrative history of this period is fascinating, and he explains how some myths surrounding scientific discovery dovetail with Romantic ideals of the mind and nature, especially as found in the poetry and fiction of the Shelleys.
While Herschel gathered observational data to better understand the formation of the universe, Davy pioneered research in chemistry - along with his peers on the continent, he made great strides in our understanding of the elemental composition of the world. These "natural philosophers" were autodidacts and interdisciplinary: they were friends with Coleridge, Southey, and Wordsworth.
The author's narrative history of this period is fascinating, and he explains how some myths surrounding scientific discovery dovetail with Romantic ideals of the mind and nature, especially as found in the poetry and fiction of the Shelleys.
abergen3's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book for a class and though the author tried to make it more like a collection of scientific stories, I still found it hard to read.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
I had read this years ago and loved it, re-read the chapters on Herschel in conjunction with our book club read of [b:The Stargazer's Sister|25430659|The Stargazer's Sister|Carrie Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430696427s/25430659.jpg|45191199]. Lively and fascinating look at explorers, scientists, plant collectors, and other romantics.