The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian - Couverture rigide
Synopsis
In 1836 the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift - a bequest of 104,960 gold sovereigns (then worth half a million dollars) to establish a foundation in Washington 'for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men'. The Smithsonian Institution, as it would eventually be called, grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet it owes its existence to an Englishman who never set foot in the United States, and who has remained a shadowy figure for more than a hundred and fifty years. Smithson lived a restless life in the capitals of Europe during the turbulent years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars; at one time he was trailed by the French secret police, and later languished as a prisoner of war in Denmark for four long years. Yet despite a certain a penchant for gambling and fine living, he had, by the time of his death in Paris in 1829, amassed a financial fortune and a wealth of scientific papers that he left to the new democracy America. Spurned by his natural father and his country, he would be acknowledged for his own achievements in the New World. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from archives all over Europe and the United States, Heather Ewing tells the full and compelling story for the first time, revealing a life lived at the heart of the English Enlightenment and illuminating the mind that sparked the creation of America's greatest museum.
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À propos de l?auteur
Heather Ewing is a graduate of Yale University and the Courtauld Institute of Art. She is currently a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, where she works as an architectural historian. The Lost World of James Smithson is her first book. She lives in New York.
Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.
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The Lost World of James Smithson
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Bloomsbury, 2007
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The Lost World of James Smiths
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The Lost World of James Smithson
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The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian
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Bloomsbury, 2007
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ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
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The lost world of James Smithson : science, revolution, and the birth of the Smithsonian / by Heather Ewing
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London ; New York : Bloomsbury, 2007
ISBN 10 : 074757653X
ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
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Vendeur : MW Books, New York, NY, Etats-Unis
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Illustrated (illustrateur). First Edition. In 1836 the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift--a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. " The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became "America's attic, " James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest--worth $9 million in today in today's currency--which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams, and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how--and even whether--to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a sweeping portrait of a remarkable man at the center of the English Enlightenment and the creation of America's greatest museum. Heather Ewing is an architectural historian. She has worked for the Smithsonian and the Ringling Museum of Art. She lives in New York. In 1836, the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift--a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. " The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became "America's attic, " James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest--worth $9 million in today's currency--which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how--and even whether--to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a sweeping portrait of a remarkable man at the center of the English Enlightenment and the creation of America's greatest museum. An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw, now mylar-sleeved. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new.; 432 pages; Description: 432 p. : ill. , ports. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [354]-412) and index. Subjects: Smithson, James (1765-1829) --Smithsonian Institution --Science --Great Britain --Biography 1 Kg. N° de réf. du vendeur 154836
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The lost world of James Smithson : science, revolution, and the birth of the Smithsonian / by Heather Ewing
Edité par
London ; New York : Bloomsbury, 2007
ISBN 10 : 074757653X
ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
Ancien ou d'occasion
Couverture rigide
Edition originale
Vendeur : MW Books Ltd., Galway, Irlande
Évaluation du vendeur 5 sur 5 étoiles
Illustrated (illustrateur). First Edition. In 1836 the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift--a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. " The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became "America's attic, " James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest--worth $9 million in today in today's currency--which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams, and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how--and even whether--to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a sweeping portrait of a remarkable man at the center of the English Enlightenment and the creation of America's greatest museum. Heather Ewing is an architectural historian. She has worked for the Smithsonian and the Ringling Museum of Art. She lives in New York. In 1836, the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift--a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. " The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became "America's attic, " James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest--worth $9 million in today's currency--which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how--and even whether--to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a sweeping portrait of a remarkable man at the center of the English Enlightenment and the creation of America's greatest museum. An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw, now mylar-sleeved. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new.; 432 pages; Description: 432 p. : ill. , ports. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [354]-412) and index. Subjects: Smithson, James (1765-1829) --Smithsonian Institution --Science --Great Britain --Biography 1 Kg. N° de réf. du vendeur 154836
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The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian
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Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2007
ISBN 10 : 074757653X
ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
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The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian
Edité par
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2007
ISBN 10 : 074757653X
ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
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The Lost World of James Smithson. Science, Revolution and the Birth of the Smithsonian.
Edité par
Bloomsbury, London, 2007
ISBN 10 : 074757653X
ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
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Hard Cover. Etat : Very Good. Etat de la jaquette : Very Good. Illustrated (illustrateur). First UK Edition. x, 432pp, index, notes, family tree, bw & col ills. Or boards in jacket. Light foxing to top edge. The Smithsonian, the largest museum and research complex in the world, owes its exitence to James Smithson-an Englishman who never set foot in the United Staes and who has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Size: 8vo. N° de réf. du vendeur 043412
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THE LOST WORLD OF JAMES SMITHSON. Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian.
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ISBN 10 : 074757653X
ISBN 13 : 9780747576532
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Illustrated (illustrateur). 1st edition. 8vo. [xi] + [435pp.] Colour and b/w. illustrations, maps. Original boards. Pictorial d/w. with navy spine lettered in gilt and whit. Very good. ISBN 9780747576532 US$15. N° de réf. du vendeur 196431
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