Book description
Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and winner of the Royal
Society Prize for Science Books, Richard Holmes's dazzling portrait of
the age of great scientific discovery is a groundbreaking achievement.
The book opens with Joseph Banks, botanist on Captain Cook's first
Endeavour voyage, who stepped onto a Tahitian beach in 1769 fully
expecting to have located Paradise. Back in Britain, the same Romantic
revolution that had inspired Banks was spurring other great thinkers on
to their own voyages of artistic and scientific discovery -
astronomical, chemical, poetical, philosophical - that together made up
the 'age of wonder'.
In this breathtaking group biography, Richard Holmes tells the stories
of the period's celebrated innovators and their great scientific
discoveries: from telescopic sight to the miner's lamp, and from the
first balloon flight to African exploration. 'Rich and sparkling, this
is a wonderful book.' Claire Tomalin, Guardian, Books of the Year
'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
'Thrilling: a portrait of bold adventure among the stars, across the
oceans, deep into matter, poetry and the human psyche.' Peter Forbes, Independent
'A glorious blend of the scientific and the literary that deserves to
carry off armfuls of awards and confirms Holmes's reputation as one on
the stellar biographers of the age.' Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph,
Books of the Year
'No question - the non-fiction book of the year is Richard Holmes's
“The Age of Wonder”, not only beautifully written, but also kicking open
a new perspective on the Romantic age.' Andrew Marr, Observer, Books of
the Year
'Itself a wonder - a masterpiece of skilful and imaginative
storytelling.' Michael Holroyd, Guardian, Books of the Year
'Dazzling and approachable. It's a brilliantly written account…original
in its connections and very generous in its attention.' Andrew Motion,
Guardian, Books of the Year
'Witty, intellectually dazzling and wholly gripping.' Richard Mabey,
Guardian, Books of the Year
'So immediate and so beguiling is Holmes's prose that we are with him
all the way.' Sunday Telegraph
'Brimming with anecdote, Holmes's enthusiastic narrative amply conveys
the period's spirited, often reckless pursuit of discovery with an
astute balance of technical detail and the wider cultural picture.'
Financial Times Richard Holmes is a Fellow of the British Academy, and
was Professor of Biographical Studies at the University of East Anglia
(2001-2007). He was awarded the OBE in 1992. His first book, 'Shelley:
The Pursuit', won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1974. 'Coleridge: Early
Visions' won the 1989 Whitbread Book of the Year Award, and 'Dr Johnson
and Mr Savage' won the James Tait Black Prize. 'Coleridge: Darker
Reflections' won the Duff Cooper Prize and the Heinemann Award. He lives
in London and Norfolk with the novelist Rose Tremain.
