Description: New York Times bestselling author Edward Dolnick brings to light the true story of one of the most pivotal moments in modern intellectual history when a group of strange, tormented geniuses invented science as we know it, and remade our understanding of the world. Dolnick s earth-changing story of Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the birth of modern science is at once an entertaining romp through the annals of academic history, in the vein of Bill Bryson s A Short History of Nearly Everything, and a captivating exploration of a defining time for scientific progress, in the tradition of Richard Holmes The Age of Wonder. "
Brief description:
Edward Dolnick is the author of Down the Great Unknown, The Forger's Spell, and the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist. A former chief science writer at the Boston Globe, he lives with his wife near Washington, D.C.
Review Quotes:
"Dolnick's book is lively and the characters are vivid." - New York Times Book Review
"Edward Dolnick's smoothly written history of the scientific revolution tells the stories of the key players and events that transformed society." - Charlotte Observer
"Dolnick . . . writes clearly and unpretentiously about science, and writes equally well about the tumultuous historical context . . . [He] also offers penetrating portraits of the geniuses of the day, many of them idiosyncratic in the extreme, who offer fertile ground for entertaining writing. [Dolnick] has an eye for vivid details in aid of historical recreation, and an affection for his subjects . . . [An] informative read." - Publishers Weekly
"[Dolnick] offers penetrating portraits of the geniuses of the day . . . who offer fertile ground for entertaining writing. [He] has an eye for vivid details in aid of historical recreation, and an affection for his subjects . . . [An] informative read." - Publishers Weekly
"An engrossing read." - Library Journal
"A lively account of early science. . . . Colorful, entertainingly written and nicely paced." - Kirkus Reviews
"Dolnick furnishes a fine survey introduction to a fertile field of scientific biography and history." - Booklist
"A character-rich, historical narrative." - Wall Street Journal