Visions of Science: Books and Readers at the Dawn of the Victorian Age - Hardcover

Jim Secord James A. Secord

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199675260 ISBN 13: 9780199675265

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Whilst political and social events shook continental Europe, scientific developments were changing the way we understood the world. At the height of this change a series of remarkable books about science were published. In 'Visions of Science', Jim Secord explores a selection of these titles and how they were received, disseminated, and admired.

About this title

About the Author

James A. Secord is professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and a fellow at Christ’s College. He is the author of Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of "Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation," also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Review

“Visions of Science is a wonderfully lucid account of a complex and often misunderstood era that poses important questions about the way we understand both science and history.” (Rosemary Hill Guardian)

"Secord highlights seven powerful books from the 1830s that altered their age. . . . Taken together, the books Mr. Secord features tell a fascinating story." (Laura J. Snyder Wall Street Journal)

“Elegantly written, Secord’s Visions of Science provides its readers with fresh insights into the turbulent decade around 1830, when science was changing from a ‘relatively esoteric pursuit’ into one that would have a huge impact on ‘the everyday life of all men and women.’” (Bernard Lightman Science)

"A concise and engaging survey of the popular science literature that transformed the book trade during the 1930s." (London Review of Books)

“One of the hardest things for historians is to know how books were actually read when they were first published. A book may have a clear case to make, but did contemporary readers find it credible? Perhaps the ideas that seem important to us now were not those that caught readers’ imaginations, indignations or approval at the time of publication. Secord succeeds brilliantly in tackling this challenge. Through a combination of facts about the publishing industry and contemporary reviews, he demonstrates how, and to what extent, these books were influential. They did nothing less, as he writes, than ‘fire the imagination of a generation that believed science was on the verge of transforming the human condition.’” (Charlotte Sleigh BBC History Magazine)

"Weaves together strands from the history of science, literary criticism, and book history, in a work which is highly accessible but which does not compromise on academic rigour. By focusing on select but significant texts, Visions of Science achieves an expansive view of early nineteenth-century print culture through a series of acute and suggestive readings." (Oxonian Review)

"A remarkable achievement. . . . Visions of Science shows how the history of science can profit from conversation with the history of the book. It should be read by anyone interested in science and literature, reading practices, or Victorian intellectual culture." (Matthew Stanley, New York University Journal of British Studies)

"Both deeply enlightening and a pleasure to read. . . . A fascinating exploration of books and their readers during a moment of intense transformation in British society. Secord brings us into a period of the nineteenth century when transformations in publishing and an expanded reading public helped create a wide-ranging conversation about science and its possible futures." (Carla Nappi New Books in Science, Technology, and Society)

"An accomplished overview of early Victorian science and culture." (Journal of Historical Geography)

"This book will appeal not only to historians, but to literary scholars keen to move beyond the familiar canon of poetry and prose. And for many other readers, the book will be a fascinating introduction to the first generation to believe that the modern disciplinary sciences could transform the human condition." (Chemistry World)

“Visions of Science provides readers with a better understanding of science texts and societal change during the early Victorian Age. This fascinating volume brings together those interested in the history and philosophy of science with scholars wishing to deepen their study of book history.” (Canadian Journal of History)

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199675260
• ISBN 13: 9780199675265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 306