I really liked this work. It really did encompass science and literature through the Romantic Era and I felt that both disciplines were equally handled. The subject matter was always kept fresh and interesting and this was a very readable book.

3.5 really.

I took forever to read it (hardback books don't go on the subway and must be read at home) but it was worth the long haul. There's a lot to learn here about this period and it was all pretty fascinating. I had no idea Uranus was discovered by a woman. I might have gotten a little more excited about science class as a child if I had. What stands out for me the most is the supreme dedication to science that all of the people mentioned here have. The risks they took, the hours and hours of study and waiting and watching and experimenting and failures all moved me. Balloons, Mining Lamps, Explorations, Telescopes. That's what's up here. And the people who made them happen.

Ерата на чудесата през 18в. е не толкова ера на чудесните изобретения (това идва по-късно), колкото на чудесните открития, които човечеството прави през този период. Открити са много нови острови и островни култури, нови звезди и планети и нови химически елементи и реакции.

Интересно е да прочетем за ентусиазма, с който различни джентълмени-учени и ентусиасти-откриватели пътуват до непознати земи, взират се с месеци в нощното небе и извършват първите опасни и вълнуващи полети с балон в ерата на Просвещението, чиито методи поставят основите на съвременната наука и откритията им дават началото на Индустриалната революция.

Това, което не е интересно, е подходът на автора към темата - да ни запознае с всички тия открития чрез подробните описания на живота и битието на някои от гореспоменатите джентълмени-учени и ентусиасти-откриватели. Не, че имам нещо против да науча за живота им - но когато по-голямата част от книгата е заета с всекидневни битови подробности, на човек му се прииска да се върнем все пак до чудесните открития, вместо да подсмърчаме пред сърцераздирателните описания колко тежък бил животът на сестрата на астронома, защото му е помагала и е супер важно да отбележим заслугата на жените в развитието на науката защото така е политически коректно. Само се чудя как така Ричард Холмс пропусна да ни осведоми за подробните биографии на двамата черни слуги в едната от експедициите, които се напиха в студа и замръзнаха. Все пак и те са малцинства, и те трябва да имат пръст в науката. Ай сиктир.

holmes offers great insights into advancements in astronomy, flight and other discoveries of the romantic era. the details he provides about the politics of the time, and the funding of these discoveries are really interesting, but i sometimes felt like he got too bogged down in the personal lives of the scientists and pioneers.

I was a little upset at this book for having to end. Holmes writes with a palpable compassion for his subjects. The book's major players are so fully animated that I couldn't help but feel a sadness at parting with these historical figures, most of whom I had never heard of before and all of whom, of course, had been dead for more than a century before I was born. I think that the way Holmes structured the book, with the same kind of intricate plot architecture as a good 19th century novel, really contributed to this feeling; the people introduced in the opening chapters are still there, growing old and being swept aside by the inevitable tides of the decades, in the final ones. He is a master at seamlessly weaving in excerpts from his primary sources - letters, diaries, scientific log books - and also not afraid to throw in some scatological references, of a academic bent.

I've never been a huge fan of 19th century Romantics, but this books makes the convincing case that rolling in the grass and writing emo poetry set the stage for the modern world, unleashing the imagination that allowed Joseph Banks to appreciate Polynesian culture, the astonishing self-absorption of William and Caroline Herschel as they scanned deep space and the boat-rocking of Mary Shelly to suggest the horrific consequences of meddling with nature. This is particularly notable for the even-handed inclusion of 19th century women in science and the much-needed portrait of George III as a thoughtful and intelligent patron of science and technology.

really interesting, although the textual analysis was lacking in parts compared to the historical analysis