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More copies of this ISBN:

The Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed the World

by Jenny Uglow

The Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed the World Cover

ISBN13: 9780374528881
ISBN10: 0374528888
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

Book News Annotation:

The Lunar Society of Birmingham was so called because it met Mondays closest to the full moon. Biographer Uglow attributes to its member much of the scientific and industrial developments in 18th-century Britain. A paper edition was published by in 2002. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Synopsis:

In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met in the English Midlands. Blending science, art, and commerce, the Lunar Men changed the face of England. Uglow's vivid, exhilarating account uncovers the friendships, political passions, love affairs, and love of knowledge that drove these extraordinary men.

Synopsis:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 511-558) and index.

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.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780374528881
Subtitle:
Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed the World
Author:
Uglow, Jenny
Author:
Uglow, Jennifer S.
Author:
Uglow, Jennifer
Publisher:
Farrar Straus Giroux
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Historical
Subject:
Science
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Scientists
Subject:
Inventors
Subject:
United States - 19th Century
Subject:
Inventions
Subject:
Scientists -- Great Britain.
Subject:
Inventors -- Great Britain.
Edition Description:
1st American pbk. ed.
Series Volume:
108-117
Publication Date:
October 2003
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
608
Dimensions:
8.22x5.48x1.57 in. 1.53 lbs.

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