Synopses & Reviews
Erasmus Darwin has been cited as the most widely talented man of the past 250 years. This collection of 460 of his letters, of which over half have never been published, provides an insight into the life of this amazing man. Darwin was famous throughout Britain as a physician; his medical letters to patients and private letters to his physician son Robert are a rich source for historians of medicine. His letters to the 'Lunar Men', Boulton, Watt, Keir and Wedgwood, provide insight into the progress of the Industrial Revolution in England. As a man of science, Erasmus Darwin was enthusiastic about physics, chemistry, meteorology, and biology. In the 1790s he propounded the idea of biological evolution, although it was his grandson Charles who managed to persuade people to take it seriously. This unique collection reveals the variety of Erasmus Darwin's talents, and his wide range of important friendships.
Synopsis
Erasmus Darwin has been cited as the most widely talented man of the past 250 years. He excelled in medicine and poetry, was an inventor and a man of science, and founded numerous societies. This unique collection provides an insight into the life of this amazing man through his letters.
Synopsis
Erasmus Darwin has often been cited as the most widely talented man of the past 250 years. He excelled in medicine and poetry, was an inventor and wide ranging man of science, and founded several societies. This 2006 collection of 460 of his letters provides an insight into the life of this amazing man. Darwin was famous throughout Britain as a physician; his medical letters to patients and private letters to his physician son Robert are a rich source for historians of medicine. His lively letters to the 'Lunar Men', Boulton, Watt, Keir and Wedgwood, provide insight into the Industrial Revolution in England. In the 1790s Darwin propounded the idea of biological evolution, although it was his grandson Charles who persuaded people to take it seriously. This unique collection reveals the variety of Erasmus Darwin's talents, and his wide range of important friendships.
Synopsis
A unique collection of the letters of Erasmus Darwin, revealing his amazing variety of talents.
About the Author
Desmond King-Hele is recognised as the world's leading authority on Erasmus Darwin. He has written 20 books and 300 papers, and his biography of Eramus Darwin won the Society of Authors Medical History Prize in 1999.