A review by mcparks
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes

4.0

This was a fun, pleasurable book that is written the way I wish all popular science books could be. The book has fairly narrow focus, the stories of several British-based Romantic-era men of science, but the narratives help to explain the feelings and controversies of the time. I especially enjoyed reading about how the profession of full-time scientist developed in this era. While I am not personally very keen on Romantic fiction or poetry, I found the stories behind those writings and the authors' interactions with scientists to be fascinating.