The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
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- Author：Richard Holmes
- ISBN：0007149530
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Summary
When Joseph Banks stepped onto a Tahitian beach in 1796， he hoped to discover Paradise。 The young botanist had set sail in search of new worlds – inspired by the Romantic revolution of science that was sweeping through Britain。
In this ground-breaking group biography， award-winning author Richard Holmes charts the voyages of discovery – astronomical， chemical， poetical， philosophical – that made up this ‘age of wonder’。 From telescopic sight to the miner’s lamp， and from the first balloon flight to African exploration， it tells the stories of great innovations， and the inspired individuals behind them。
Breathtaking in its originality and storytelling energy， The Age of Wonder is a radical vision of the meeting places of science and art， and an extraordinary evocation of an era of exploration， discovery and wonder。
Reviews
Noelle
，
Yes， this book is about dead white men （and about 1。5 women） and it's utterly enthralling。 Great biographies of Romantic-era scientists whom I knew nothing about， and the more familiar poet-scientists in their orbit （Coleridge， the Shelleys， Keats） at the dawn of the modern scientific era exploring astronomy， chemistry， electricity， balloon flight and more。 I enjoyed this immensely and learned a lot。 Yes， this book is about dead white men （and about 1。5 women） and it's utterly enthralling。 Great biographies of Romantic-era scientists whom I knew nothing about， and the more familiar poet-scientists in their orbit （Coleridge， the Shelleys， Keats） at the dawn of the modern scientific era exploring astronomy， chemistry， electricity， balloon flight and more。 I enjoyed this immensely and learned a lot。 。。。more
Deana Hamilton
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Well written。 Very detailed account of a specific time in science。 The stories flesh out the individuals involved extremely well。
Elizabeth Wahl
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The book covers all different kinds of science from botany and Joseph Bank's voyages to Tahiti to William and Caroline Herschel's discoveries in astronomy and Humphrey Davy's work on chemistry and poetry。 It's fascinating， but I found certain sections more engaging than others， especially the interest of Coleridge in science and the connections between science and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein。 The book covers all different kinds of science from botany and Joseph Bank's voyages to Tahiti to William and Caroline Herschel's discoveries in astronomy and Humphrey Davy's work on chemistry and poetry。 It's fascinating， but I found certain sections more engaging than others， especially the interest of Coleridge in science and the connections between science and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein。 。。。more
Sherri
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This book reminded me of how clever and resourceful and creative them Victorians were！ Amazing
Graham
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Worth it for the footnotes - whole essays waiting to be written。。。
Aniket Khasgiwale
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In this phenomenonal book Holmes covers the history of Scientific progress during the Romantic era， by covering the key people involved - Joseph Banks， the Herschels， Humphry Davy， Michael Faraday and a few more。 Along with covering their scientific achievements， the book also covers their interaction with the Romantic era writers and how the writers incorporated the newly developed scientific research in their writings。 It is the mix of great characters， and the interaction of science with lite In this phenomenonal book Holmes covers the history of Scientific progress during the Romantic era， by covering the key people involved - Joseph Banks， the Herschels， Humphry Davy， Michael Faraday and a few more。 Along with covering their scientific achievements， the book also covers their interaction with the Romantic era writers and how the writers incorporated the newly developed scientific research in their writings。 It is the mix of great characters， and the interaction of science with literature that makes this book thoroughly enjoyable。 Take your time to read this one， it is definitely worth it 。。。more
Sean Barrs
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The Age of Wonder is a book I have savoured over many months。 I worked my way slowly through it， enjoying every word and every miracle the author captured here。 Excitement， newness and possibly drove the brightest minds of the age to discover wonderous things。 And there is a pervading presence of the unknown， of possibility， of fantastic discoveries that are to be found and ideas that are about to be born。 There is an optimism and a sense of intrigue that I feel our current era lacks。 There’s en The Age of Wonder is a book I have savoured over many months。 I worked my way slowly through it， enjoying every word and every miracle the author captured here。 Excitement， newness and possibly drove the brightest minds of the age to discover wonderous things。 And there is a pervading presence of the unknown， of possibility， of fantastic discoveries that are to be found and ideas that are about to be born。 There is an optimism and a sense of intrigue that I feel our current era lacks。 There’s energy and there’s passion; there’s power and there’s hope: there is the quest for knowledge and for greatness and the betterment of humankind。 There is something truly special about this time。One thing that feels exceedingly potent in the Romantic era is the intertwining of science and art， of poetry and experimentation。 Mary Shelley’s phenomenal Frankenstein is the absolute touchtone of this idea。 There were many fantastic works that came out of the time， but for me her novel feels like the defining novel of the era; the one that shapes it and helps create it: the one that evokes everything about the time， the concerns and the hopes， the dreams and the reality: it is simply the romantic novel that was born during the age of wonder that Holmes captures here ever so eloquently。 I wish I could have been alive then， to walk the streets and see the world through the eyes of the poets that understood that eternity can be found in a daffodil and that utopia can be formed once we ourselves learn to transform our habits and become the men we were supposed to be before we fell into darkness， decay， and corruption。 And it's ideas like this， that were directly influenced by the developing scientific thoughts of the age。 This is Richard Holmes' most ambitious work。 He does not focus on a singular figure or a famous poet。 He instead writes a biography about the scientific discoveries of an era and in doing so captures much of its energy and electric optimism and desire for learning and knowledge。This book is an erudite and scholarly exploration of a truly fantastic time。___________________________________You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree。__________________________________ 。。。more
Herb
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Fascinating description of the scientific advancements of the Romantic Age， focusing on the works and personalities of the major individuals。 Very good。
Jim Armor
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Wonderful， rich history of the Enlightenment in England from the mid-1700s to the early-1800s leading to the Victorian Age of Science。 It is three biographies - Joseph Banks， William and his sister Caroline Herschel， and Humphrey Davy。 The biographies draw in the innumerable and overlapping relationships with friends， relations and colleagues who were the artists， poets， and natural philosophers of the Age， like Keats， Coleridge， Lord Byron， Percy and Mary Shelly， Erasmus Darwin， von Humbolt， Go Wonderful， rich history of the Enlightenment in England from the mid-1700s to the early-1800s leading to the Victorian Age of Science。 It is three biographies - Joseph Banks， William and his sister Caroline Herschel， and Humphrey Davy。 The biographies draw in the innumerable and overlapping relationships with friends， relations and colleagues who were the artists， poets， and natural philosophers of the Age， like Keats， Coleridge， Lord Byron， Percy and Mary Shelly， Erasmus Darwin， von Humbolt， Goethe and dozens more。 There not being anything like “science” at this point in history， they struggled to explain the new observations of natural phenomena （like planets and nebulas in telescopes， human behavior in primitive islands or when breathing Nitrous Oxide， geological and archeological findings in the Earth， and bizarre flora and fauna in distant lands） with the religious and mystical explanations available。 The result was a true romance - a sense of wonder that could not just be described mechanistically， but needed all the power of art， literature and poetry， and philosophy。 Steadily， the early definition of “Scientist” evolves - lead notably by women authors of public novels （Mary Shelly） and popular scientific explanations （Mary Somerville）。 The book concludes with the beginning of the “Next generation” of scientists - Charles Babbage， Charles Darwin， James Watt， James Maxwell， John Herschel - building on both the genius and the personal foibles of the first。 This book is excellently sourced and includes well selected pictures and art that greatly illuminate the subjects。 。。。more
Karo
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I adore this book。
Duane Nickell
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I bought this book back in 2008 and it took me three attempts to read it。 Anyway， I finally read it and I have a somewhat mixed reaction。 The book is really a series of biographies mainly about explorer Joseph Banks， astronomer William Herschel， and chemist Humphrey Davy。 A chapter on ballooning， explorer Mungo Park， and Davy's relationship with physicist Michael Faraday is also included。 I enjoyed the biographical parts although the author tended to go into a bit too much detail。 The second hal I bought this book back in 2008 and it took me three attempts to read it。 Anyway， I finally read it and I have a somewhat mixed reaction。 The book is really a series of biographies mainly about explorer Joseph Banks， astronomer William Herschel， and chemist Humphrey Davy。 A chapter on ballooning， explorer Mungo Park， and Davy's relationship with physicist Michael Faraday is also included。 I enjoyed the biographical parts although the author tended to go into a bit too much detail。 The second half of the book has a lot of literary references and features sections of poems that I personally could have done without。 Also， the author is British and makes references to places， uses language， and refers to customs that most Americans will have trouble understanding or just don't know about。 （I had to keep a map out to keep track of all the places。） Finally， the book had numerous quotes that used arcane language that was hard to read。 I enjoyed the book but could have skipped over some of it。 Worth your while， but not an easy read。 。。。more
Scott
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I learned a lot thank you
Edmund Wigley
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Some excellent chapters describing Davy， Herschel and Banks’ scientific contribution to the romantic period， also filled with their own poetry and snippets of works from those they influenced （such as Shelley， Byron and Coleridge）。 Felt like it was somewhat letdown by chapters on ballooning and Mungo Park which are fairly drawn out / less relevant to the overall theme
Ron
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What a GAS…STARS， LAMPS， BALOONS， POEMS & MORE。 MORE facts than I can comprehend nor remember in this important & inspiring book that took me months & months to finish。 Truly a remarkable time with a fair share of genius。 But is science continuing to shape our history， or is Politics？ Time will tell。
Ibles Olcina
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A thrilling account of the development of （mainly British） science during the Romantic period。 Tales of a mermerizing voyage to the South Pacific， the opening of a new window to the universe， the captivating possibilities of air travel by balloon， the exploration of the heart of Africa， the wonders of chemistry。。。this book will make you want to be a scientist。
Cooper Renner
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4 stars because Holmes is a good writer and this book is full of fine information。 3 stars for my enjoyment。 I had expected more coverage of Romantic writers as well as scientists。
Philip
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Why doesn't everyone know about Caroline Herschel？ She was the first female professional research scientist–that is， with a salary independent of any male person， direct from the King， solely to carry out astronomical research。 Don't you want to know much more about her， and her world？ This and much more awaits you。 Why doesn't everyone know about Caroline Herschel？ She was the first female professional research scientist–that is， with a salary independent of any male person， direct from the King， solely to carry out astronomical research。 Don't you want to know much more about her， and her world？ This and much more awaits you。 。。。more
martin j holden
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ReviewVery enjoyable and enlightening， though I could have done with less verse。 Holmes is widely read， broad minded and very readable， and lucid in explaining concepts and ideas。 He's also an empathetic biographer， with a good historian's sense of time， place and context。 ReviewVery enjoyable and enlightening， though I could have done with less verse。 Holmes is widely read， broad minded and very readable， and lucid in explaining concepts and ideas。 He's also an empathetic biographer， with a good historian's sense of time， place and context。 。。。more
Sandie
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In this fascinating work， Richard Holmes explores the Romantic period from the latter part of the 1700's to the mid-point of the 1800's and how the work of various scientists changed the worldview forever。 This was the time when major discoveries were being made but also a time of great discoveries and work in the arts with many of the well known poets doing their strongest work。 Holmes explores the intersection of science and poetry and what men believed before and after these great discoveries In this fascinating work， Richard Holmes explores the Romantic period from the latter part of the 1700's to the mid-point of the 1800's and how the work of various scientists changed the worldview forever。 This was the time when major discoveries were being made but also a time of great discoveries and work in the arts with many of the well known poets doing their strongest work。 Holmes explores the intersection of science and poetry and what men believed before and after these great discoveries were made。The work revolves around the lives of several scientific giants。 The first is Joseph Banks。 A wealthy man， he went on Captain Cook's exploration of such cultures as Tahiti。 His scientific interests were wide ranging and he returned as a society lion with all the wonders he brought back and could talk about。 He went on to become the President of the Royal Society which was the premier association of scientists。 His interest in all areas of science and his network of scientists worldwide made him the preeminent figure of his time。William Herschel and his sister Caroline were astronomers。 Herschel discovered the planet Uransus and constructed huge telescopes never before possible that allowed him to write the definitive numbering of the astral bodies。 His sister Caroline was one of the first women scientists in this area and was known for discovering new comets。 Their work was fascinating to King George III and his royal patronage made their work possible。Humphrey Davy revolutionized the field of chemistry。 He worked on gases and discovered various uses for what is called 'laughing gas'。 He experimented on himself with this and his work was famous。 His most successful experiments were his work in making mining safer。 As men tunneled further and deeper， methane gas became a major issue with huge explosions periodically killing massive numbers of miners。 Davy created a safe lamp that allowed the miners to work more safely and was a hero in that industry。 Along with these three giants were many other scientists。 Some most will have heard about were Michael Farraday， the African explorer Mungo Park and Charles Babbage， the mathematician whose work led to the first 'calculating machine' or computer。 But what was also fascinating were the topics that the famous poets of the era were exploring due to these scientific discoveries。 Coleridge， Keats， Wordsworth and the Shelleys Percy and Mary， were exploring the relationship between nature and the ideas of a deity that were considered set in stone。 Many of the scientists and poets started to question this certainty as their work didn't support the idea of a Creator who set everything in motion in six days。 Herschel talked about the enormity of the universe and how many millions of years it took for light from the stars to get to Earth。 Richard Holmes has made his literary career in biographies。 His area of interest has been the poets of this era。 This work， exploring the interaction of science and art， and the opening of the questions of how man came to exist and how the universe truly worked， is a fascinating exploration of the topic and its figures。 This book is recommended for history and science nonfiction readers。 。。。more
Randall DeVallance
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Fascinating snapshot of the Romantic Age and the intertwined worlds of Art and Science， at a time when science still posessed an almost magical quality， with all the beauty and promise - but also terror - that entails。
Zandra
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The subtitle title of this book is promising， but it fails to live up to its claims。 There is more here about men discovering beautiful women than the beauties of science。 The opening chapter on Sir Joseph Banks focuses on his disavowal of Christian morality with his discovery of Tahitian women。 All very well， but I found myself wondering what contribution he made to the study of science。 The book proceeds to give a in depth and often irrelevant biographical details about a small number of scien The subtitle title of this book is promising， but it fails to live up to its claims。 There is more here about men discovering beautiful women than the beauties of science。 The opening chapter on Sir Joseph Banks focuses on his disavowal of Christian morality with his discovery of Tahitian women。 All very well， but I found myself wondering what contribution he made to the study of science。 The book proceeds to give a in depth and often irrelevant biographical details about a small number of scientists， not necessarily those who made the most important contributions （perhaps Holmes selected personalities he already knew about from his biographies of Coleridge and Shelley？） Holmes intersperses his biographies with brief references to poets and he often quotes their work; quite uninteresting， I felt。 Holmes' conclusion seems to be: scientists discovered science out of the determination to advance their careers， while artists sometimes wrote about science。 There was just one writer， Mary Shelley， who was actually motivated by the idea of science having terrifying potential。 I found that part of the book interesting。 。。。more
Sarah Shepherd
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Interesting but a little lengthy。 The book covers a significant period of time and goes through many scientists， but after awhile it just feels like it is dragging on。
Pritam Chattopadhyay
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British biographer Richard Holmes presents a sequence of stories that offer a history of the men and women whose 18th-century discoveries and inventions ushered in the Romantic Age of Science。 This dispatch of scientific stories link together， to explore a larger historical narrative。 This is the author’s account of the second scientific revolution， which swept through Britain at the end of the eighteenth century， and produced a new vision which has rightly been called Romantic science。Romantici British biographer Richard Holmes presents a sequence of stories that offer a history of the men and women whose 18th-century discoveries and inventions ushered in the Romantic Age of Science。 This dispatch of scientific stories link together， to explore a larger historical narrative。 This is the author’s account of the second scientific revolution， which swept through Britain at the end of the eighteenth century， and produced a new vision which has rightly been called Romantic science。Romanticism as a cultural force is generally regarded as intensely hostile to science， its ideal of subjectivity eternally opposed to that of scientific objectivity。 However， the author does not believe this was always the case， or that the terms are so mutually exclusive。 The notion of wonder seems to be something that once united them， and can still do so。 In effect there is Romantic science in the same sense that there is Romantic poetry， and often for the same enduring reasons。The first scientific revolution， of the seventeenth century， is familiarly associated with the names of Newton， Hooke， Locke and Descartes， and the almost simultaneous foundations of the Royal Society in London and the Académie des Sciences in Paris。 Its existence has long been accepted， and the biographies of its leading figures are well known。 But this second revolution was something different。 The first person who referred to a ‘second scientific revolution’ was probably the poet Coleridge in his Philosophical Lectures of 1819。 It was inspired primarily by a sudden series of breakthroughs in the fields of astronomy and chemistry。 It was a movement that grew out of eighteenth-century Enlightenment rationalism， but largely transformed it， by bringing a new imaginative intensity and excitement to scientific work。 It was driven by a common ideal of concentrated， even irresponsible， personal commitment to discovery。The author convincingly argues that Romanticism was both a reaction against the Enlightenment’s scientific discoveries and an outgrowth of them。 From Holmes’s perspective， the ideals that drove scientists and poets were often not that different。Leading scientists such as astronomers William and Caroline Herschel and inventor Humphrey Davy are seen as influencing writers such as Coleridge， Wordsworth， Shelley， and Keats。 The book contains a handy alphabetical list of key individuals in 18thcentury science。A classic this one！ 。。。more
Jeff
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Age of Wonder is a fine history of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century British science。 Fascinating， but a little too sprawling in its scope to have a clear enough cohesive thesis。 A fun read none the less。
Sebadiaz
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I think the book suffered from too high expectations as well as a lack of a true central thesis。 The chosen examples seemed to be quasi-random until it became apparent that they were only chosen to highlight a character that had some connection to poetry。 I still learned plenty of interesting things， enjoyed much of the writing， but wished the book had been presented in a different manner as well as being perhaps a bit shorter。
Nancy Nehila
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This book took me forever to read。 It was a lot of information and a bit heavy to read。 But in the end I really enjoyed it。 It followed the lives of several major scientist of the Victorian age。 Before scientist was even a word。 It talked about the romance of discovery。 How it was seen as the height of fashion to be aware of new discoveries。 Most of the scientist were poets as well which surprised me。 It would be good to make the pursuit of science a noble instead of nerdy goal。
Scott
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Well done as far as it goes， still I both enjoyed it and found it a bit disappointing。 Holmes devotes much more time to the history of the Royal Society and the biographies of the various figures involved than he does to any discussion of the scientific issues， an approach that I found not all that interesting。
Dfour
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I am grateful Richard Holmes wrote this book。 Prior to reading it， my knowledge of the people， stories， and accomplishments in this book was essentially non-existent。 This prior ignorance is humbling and sad given that I consider myself a fan of science。 In the Prologue， Holmes reminds us of the words of Plato: philosophical thoughts begin and end in Wonder （paraphrased）。 At the start， Wonder takes the form of curiosity in the face of mystery， but that transforms into a profound appreciation of I am grateful Richard Holmes wrote this book。 Prior to reading it， my knowledge of the people， stories， and accomplishments in this book was essentially non-existent。 This prior ignorance is humbling and sad given that I consider myself a fan of science。 In the Prologue， Holmes reminds us of the words of Plato: philosophical thoughts begin and end in Wonder （paraphrased）。 At the start， Wonder takes the form of curiosity in the face of mystery， but that transforms into a profound appreciation of the thing that is now （paradoxically） better understood in the context of new questions and mysteries revealed by that understanding。 This sense of Wonder is both simple and complex， and the people who are guided by it can profoundly impact the world they live in。 This book is full of stories of such people and their impacts。It's also somehow pleasant to caste oneself back to a time and place when so much of what we know today was unknown or misunderstood。 Herschel's "island universes" must of made people fall over as they initially grappled with the concept and implications of their existence。I strongly recommend this book。 。。。more
LiB
，
As a selection of mini-biographies of eminent British scientists from the reign of George III this is entertaining and anecdote-filled， and does a reasonable job of explaining the importance of their scientific work and discoveries。 It also makes a decent job of describing the development of British scientific institutions during that period。Unfortunately， what I was expecting from the advertising and the prologue* was an exploration of the relationship between science and the Romantic movement。 As a selection of mini-biographies of eminent British scientists from the reign of George III this is entertaining and anecdote-filled， and does a reasonable job of explaining the importance of their scientific work and discoveries。 It also makes a decent job of describing the development of British scientific institutions during that period。Unfortunately， what I was expecting from the advertising and the prologue* was an exploration of the relationship between science and the Romantic movement。 We learn that various artists and scientists pop up at the same parties， but given there were very few people in Georgian Britain willing and able to engage in any intellectual pursuits， and the numbers of people in the aristocracy and upper middle class were surprisingly small， it’s hardly a revelation that artists， writers and scientists sometimes socialised together。 There is some emphasis on Humphrey Davy as a poet and a close friend of Coleridge， and a little about the artistic interests of some other scientists， but you would expect creative， intelligent people might have an interest art or literature。 There is very， very little about the themes or interests of the wider Romantic movement outside the prologue， and and the closest we get is a pretty superficial discussion of Frankenstein。 The history of scientific discovery at this time is of course going to be centred on people who were able to spend time and money on research， and that is almost entirely wealthy white men**。 It seems that the author has made a conscious effort not to ignore the subjectivity of women， lower-class men， and the non-white people that Banks and Mungo Park encountered in their voyages of discovery。 Unfortunately some of the ways he discusses women raises my hackles slightly。 For instance he describes Caroline Herschel’s letters to fellow scientists as flirtatious， when they read little differently from the friendly letters sent between men elsewhere in the book， and he retells a lot of anecdotes that I feel are meant to read as racy or daring， but just come across as rich men being sleazy （eg。 The middle-aged Davy’s crush on an innkeeper’s young daughter）。So - I would strongly recommend this for anyone wanting to know more about Georgian science， British science， the history of science in general， especially as this period is neglected in popular history compared with Enlightenment or Victorian science， but don’t expect much discussion of Romanticism or intellectual movements of the time。* I read the Prologue in the Kindle sample before purchasing** The author devotes a chapter to Caroline Herschel， who absolutely was a pioneer in astronomy， but she was treated by her brother as a well-trained assistant， not an equal， and had to find time outside his priorities for her own projects。 We can find other women such as Madame Lavoisier who used access to a male relative’s scientific resources to make their own contributions， women who supported， collaborated with or funded their husbands， but the women never have first dibs on resources and priorities。 Davy’s abysmal treatment of Faraday shows a similar suppressive tendency in the hierarchical relationships of class。 。。。more
Jordi Martinez
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