The Science of James Smithson: Discoveries from the Smithsonian Founder - Couverture rigide

Turner, Steven

 
9781588346902: The Science of James Smithson: Discoveries from the Smithsonian Founder
Couverture rigide
ISBN 10 : 1588346900 ISBN 13 : 9781588346902
Editeur : Smithsonian Books, 2020

Synopsis

"A quirky, oddly touching book that allows us to step, for a few moments, inside the world of a practicing Enlightenment scientist, to sit beside him as he fans the flames of a candle with his little blowpipe, waiting for that small mineral in front of him to melt and yield its secrets." —Wall Street Journal

An accessible exploration of the noteworthy scientific career of James Smithson, who left his fortune to establish the Smithsonian Institution.

James Smithson is best known as the founder of the Smithsonian Institution, but few people know his full and fascinating story. He was a widely respected chemist and mineralogist and a member of the Royal Society, but in 1865, his letters, collection of 10,000 minerals, and more than 200 unpublished papers were lost to a fire in the Smithsonian Castle. His scientific legacy was further written off as insignificant in an 1879 essay published through the Smithsonian fifty years after his death--a claim that author Steven Turner demonstrates is far from the truth.

By providing scientific and intellectual context to his work, The Science of James Smithson is a comprehensive tribute to Smithson's contributions to his fields, including chemistry, mineralogy, and more. This detailed narrative illuminates Smithson and his quest for knowledge at a time when chemists still debated thing as basic as the nature of fire, and struggled to maintain their networks amid the ever-changing conditions of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

À propos de l?auteur

STEVEN TURNER is a historian of science and retired curator of physical sciences at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. He has written broadly about the history of American science and scientific instruments. He also developed a deep interest in the Smithsonian's founder and has recreated most of his chemical experiments.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Smithsonian Books
Date d'édition
2020
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
1588346900
ISBN 13 
9781588346902
Reliure
Relié
Nombre de pages
304
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
non disponible