Synopses & Reviews
In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met and made friends in the English Midlands. Most came from humble families, all lived far from the center of things, but they were young and their optimism was boundless: together they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toymaker Matthew Boulton and his partner James Watt, of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgwood; the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin, physician, poet, inventor, and theorist of evolution (a forerunner of his grandson Charles). Later came Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen and fighting radical.
With a small band of allies they formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham (so called because it met at each full moon) and kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Blending science, art, and commerce, the Lunar Men built canals; launched balloons; named plants, gases, and minerals; changed the face of England and the china in its drawing rooms; and plotted to revolutionize its soul.
Uglow's vivid, exhilarating account uncovers the friendships, political passions, love affairs, and love of knowledge (and power) that drove these extraordinary men. It echoes to the thud of pistons and the wheeze and snort of engines and brings to life the tradesmen, artisans, and tycoons who shaped and fired the modern age.
Jenny Uglow is an editor at Chatto & Windus and lives in Canterbury, England. Her previous books include Hogarth, Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories, and George Eliot.
A Los Angeles Times Best Book
A Choice Outstanding Academic Title
In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met and made friends in the English Midlands. Most came from humble families, all lived far from the center of things, but they were young and their optimism was boundless: together, they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toymaker Matthew Boulton and his partner James Watt, of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgewood; and the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin, physician, poet, inventor, and theorist of evolution (a forerunner of his grandson Charles). Later came Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen and fighting radical.
With a small band of alliesthe chemist James Keir, the doctors William Small and William Withering (the man who put digitalis on the medical map), and two wild young followers of Rousseau, Richard Lovell Edgeworth and Thomas Daythey formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham, so called because it met at each full moon, and kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Blending science, art, and commerce, the Lunar Men built canals; launched balloons; named planets, gases, and minerals; changed the face of England and the china in its drawing rooms; and plotted to revolutionize its soul.
Uglow's account uncovers the friendship, political passions, love affairs, and love of knowledge (and power) that drove these men. It echoes to the thud of pistons and the wheeze and snort of engines, and brings to life the tradesmen, artisans, and tycoons who shaped and fired the modern age.
"A history of discovery's technology and science and, more distinctively, its exuberance. [Uglow] sketches the lives, quirks, emotions, and fellowship of a number of figures who played a part . . . It is not the men she writes about in Lunar Men who changed the world but their curiosity. Her book, in other words, is an account not so much of a revolution as of a revolutionary temper . . . A playful, exuberant book."Richard Eder, The New York Times
"A history of discovery's technology and science and, more distinctively, its exuberance. [Uglow] sketches the lives, quirks, emotions, and fellowship of a number of figures who played a part . . . It is not the men she writes about in Lunar Men who changed the world but their curiosity. Her book, in other words, is an account not so much of a revolution as of a revolutionary temper . . . A playful, exuberant book."Richard Eder, The New York Times
"[A] majestic study in camaraderie and intellectual kinship in 18th-century Britain. Her research is simply exhaustive . . . She has in effect written half a dozen biographies of her principals, and numerous sketches of sundry Lunar associates. Uglow pays due and detail attention to their family lives, while also superbly placing them in the context of the times . . . One closes The Lunar Men impressed."Matthew Price, The Boston Globe
"Through her collective biography of the Lunatics, [Uglow] offers many insights into the history of England during the early Industrial Revolution . . . Her emphasis on the documentary record gives the narrative real vitality; it is free from the jargon and theoretical debates that sometimes obscure the subjects they purport to illuminate. This book is a treasure trove and a pleasure to read. It deserves a wide audience. Although we already know a great deal about individual members of the Lunar Society, there will be few who finish the book without finding much that is new, and nearly all will come away with an enhanced understanding of science and technology in the Industrial Revolution."Trevor Levere, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, American Scientist
"An absolute wonder of a book, huge in its span and close in its detail, nothing less than a snapshot of what and who was best about Britain and its intellectual life in the middle of the 18th century."The Economist
"What distinguishes The Lunar Men, besides [Uglow's] evident skill as a writer, is her biographical approach, her focus on individuals and their quirks, social origins, intellectual worlds, and politics . . . Uglow has given us a remarkable story of remarkable men, richly detailed and brilliantly told. She has mined the archives with telling effect . . . It is an exemplary effort."Paul S. Seaver, Stanford University, The New York Times Book Review
"Uglow's book is immensely detailedyou will learn a lot about steam enginesbut the warmth of friendship and the intoxicating fizz of discovery make it irresistible reading."Lev Grossman, Time
"The Lunar Men is a grand story . . . Jenny Uglow's magnificent group history chronicles a last great upsurge of the all-embracing Renaissance spirit, when a few amateurs and tinkerers of genius ushered in, ironically enough, the gloomy Age of Machinery and Specialization . . . Have I made it clear that The Lunar Men is a book you can live in for a month or longer, especially in these dark times? Start reading some evening when the moon is full."Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
"Excellent and fascinating . . . [Jenny Uglow is] a serious and enthralling writer."P. N. Furbank, The New York Review of Books
"Jenny Uglows The Lunar Men gives us a compelling account of these extraordinary polymaths and of the world in which they lived . . . It is not so much a group portrait as a panoramic, popular history of midland England in an early phase of the Industrial Revolution, rich in information and anecdote and superbly illustrated with paintings, drawings and photographs that capture the lives and times of these remarkable, this-worldly men."Kenneth Silverman, The Wall Street Journal
"A compelling exploration of the Enlightenment . . . Admirers of Uglow's previous book, Hogarth, will be familiar with her skill in illuminating ideas and artifacts from the pastin this case, 18th century science and technologyby picturing them in their cultural, social and personal contexts. This approach, evident on every page . . . is well-suited to the history of an activity as social as science."Richard Hamblyn, Los Angeles Times
"An absorbing and rich account of the dreams and determination of the engineers of the first Industrial Revolution."Brian Dolan, The Times Literary Supplement
"A big book in every sense . . . [The Lunar Men] teems with colorful characters and the private and public dramas that surrounded them."Katrin Schultheiss, Chicago Tribune
"Through her portraits of [these men] and their work, [the author] evokes vividly the state of science and technology on the eve of the industrial revolution. This small group of friends, Uglow writes, really was at the leading edge of almost every movement of its time in science, in industry, and in the artseven in agriculture."Scientific American
"Jenny Uglow's vivid biography of these unlikely revolutionaries is a book worthy of her protagonists. The Lunar Society members were dynamic and charismatic, each with a formidable array of talents, faults and eccentricities. Uglow gives full scope to them as individuals but wisely underscores the unifying thread of their lives."Ed Voves, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Jenny Uglow [is a] learned biographer and an effervescent historian, a discoverer of extraordinary facts."Gaby Wood, The Observer
"Uglow's lively chronicle focuses on five remarkable men, the leading spirits of England's eighteenth-century Lunar Society: pioneering manufacturer Matthew Boulton; the gregarious physician, poet, and biological theorist Erasmus Darwin; the ingenious inventor James Watt; the gifted potter Josiah Wedgwood; and the heterodox preacher and groundbreaking chemist Joseph Priestley. Capturing the sense of imaginative daring that united these fiveand the others who gravitated to themUglow recounts their lively monthly meetings (held on the Monday closest to the full moon) and the stunning variety of projects and discoveries that came out of their collaboration . . . Seeing in her subjects no mere coterie of ivory-tower theorists, Uglow hails the Lunar men as audacious advocates of a modern new world, mechanized, egalitarian, and enlightened. Yet she also acknowledges that in their optimistic fantasies, these visionaries failed to anticipate the ugly underside of the Industrial Revolution they helped launch. Rich in anecdote and insight, this is a book sure to attract both the casual browser and the serious specialist."Booklist
"This hefty volume combines prodigious research with an obvious fondness for the subject matter . . . Uglow's writing has great breadth of subject and characteralong with the occasional bawdiness, too."Publishers Weekly
Review
"A remarkable story of remarkable men, richly detailed and brilliantly told." --Paul S. Seaver,
The New York Times Book Review"An absolute wonder of a book."
-The Economist
Synopsis
In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met and made friends in the English Midlands. Most came from humble families, all lived far from the center of things, but they were young and their optimism was boundless: together they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toymaker Matthew Boulton and his partner James Watt, of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgwood; the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin, physician, poet, inventor, and theorist of evolution (a forerunner of his grandson Charles). Later came Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen and fighting radical.
With a small band of allies they formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham (so called because it met at each full moon) and kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Blending science, art, and commerce, the Lunar Men built canals; launched balloons; named plants, gases, and minerals; changed the face of England and the china in its drawing rooms; and plotted to revolutionize its soul.
Uglow's vivid, exhilarating account uncovers the friendships, political passions, love affairs, and love of knowledge (and power) that drove these extraordinary men. It echoes to the thud of pistons and the wheeze and snort of engines and brings to life the tradesmen, artisans, and tycoons who shaped and fired the modern age.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 511-558) and index.
Synopsis
In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met and made friends in the English Midlands. Most came from humble families, all lived far from the center of things, but they were young and their optimism was boundless: together they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toymaker Matthew Boulton and his partner James Watt, of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgwood; the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin, physician, poet, inventor, and theorist of evolution (a forerunner of his grandson Charles). Later came Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen and fighting radical.
With a small band of allies they formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham (so called because it met at each full moon) and kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Blending science, art, and commerce, the Lunar Men built canals; launched balloons; named plants, gases, and minerals; changed the face of England and the china in its drawing rooms; and plotted to revolutionize its soul.
Uglow's vivid, exhilarating account uncovers the friendships, political passions, love affairs, and love of knowledge (and power) that drove these extraordinary men. It echoes to the thud of pistons and the wheeze and snort of engines and brings to life the tradesmen, artisans, and tycoons who shaped and fired the modern age.
Jenny Uglow is an editor at Chatto & Windus and lives in Canterbury, England. Her previous books include Hogarth, Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories, and George Eliot.
A Los Angeles Times Best Book
A Choice Outstanding Academic Title
In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met and made friends in the English Midlands. Most came from humble families, all lived far from the center of things, but they were young and their optimism was boundless: together, they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toymaker Matthew Boulton and his partner James Watt, of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgewood; and the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin, physician, poet, inventor, and theorist of evolution (a forerunner of his grandson Charles). Later came Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen and fighting radical.
With a small band of allies--the chemist James Keir, the doctors William Small and William Withering (the man who put digitalis on the medical map), and two wild young followers of Rousseau, Richard Lovell Edgeworth and Thomas Day--they formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham, so called because it met at each full moon, and kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Blending science, art, and commerce, the Lunar Men built canals; launched balloons; named planets, gases, and minerals; changed the face of England and the china in its drawing rooms; and plotted to revolutionize its soul.
Uglow's account uncovers the friendship, political passions, love affairs, and love of knowledge (and power) that drove these men. It echoes to the thud of pistons and the wheeze and snort of engines, and brings to life the tradesmen, artisans, and tycoons who shaped and fired the modern age.
A history of discovery's technology and science and, more distinctively, its exuberance. Uglow] sketches the lives, quirks, emotions, and fellowship of a number of figures who played a part . . . It is not the men she writes about in Lunar Men who changed the world but their curiosity. Her book, in other words, is an account not so much of a revolution as of a revolutionary temper . . . A playful, exuberant book.--Richard Eder, The New York Times
A history of discovery's technology and science and, more distinctively, its exuberance. Uglow] sketches the lives, quirks, emotions, and fellowship of a number of figures who played a part . . . It is not the men she writes about in Lunar Men who changed the world but their curiosity. Her book, in other words, is an account not so much of a revolution as of a revolutionary temper . . . A playful, exuberant book.--Richard Eder, The New York Times
A] majestic study in camaraderie and intellectual kinship in 18th-century Britain. Her research is simply exhaustive . . . She has in effect written half a dozen biographies of her principals, and numerous sketches of sundry Lunar associates. Uglow pays due and detail attention to their family lives, while also superbly placing them in the context of the times . . . One closes The Lunar Men impressed.--Matthew Price, The Boston Globe
Through her collective biography of the Lunatics, Uglow] offers many insights into the history of England during the early Industrial Revolution . . . Her emphasis on the documentary record gives the narrative real vitality; it is free from the jargon and theoretical debates that sometimes obscure the subjects they purport to illuminate. This book is a treasure trove and a pleasure to read. It deserves a wide audience. Although we already know a great deal about individual members of the Lunar Society, there will be few who finish the book without finding much that is new, and nearly all will come away with an enhanced understanding of science and technology in the Industrial Revolution.--Trevor Levere, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, American Scientist
An absolute wonder of a book, huge in its span and close in its detail, nothing less than a snapshot of what and who was best about Britain and its intellectual life in the middle of the 18th century.--The Economist
What distinguishes The Lunar Men, besides Uglow's] evident skill as a writer, is her biographical approach, her focus on individuals and their quirks, social origins, intellectual worlds, and politics . . . Uglow has given us a remarkable story of remarkable men, richly detailed and brilliantly told. She has mined the archives with telling effect . . . It is an exemplary effort.--Paul S. Seaver, Stanford University, The New York Times Book Review
Uglow's book is immensely detailed--you wil
About the Author
Jenny Uglow is an editor at Chatto & Windus and lives in Canterbury, England. Her previous books include
Hogarth,
Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories, and
George Eliot.