Richard Holmes and the Age of Wonder

In The Age of Wonder, Richard Holmes chronicles the riveting breakthroughs that launched the Romantic Age of Science. From Humphry Davys near-suicidal gas experiments to William Herschels discovery of Uranus, Holmes deftly captures the thrill of scientific exploration at the turn of the 19th century—and shows its impact on Romantic writers like Coleridge, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats.

Richard Holmes is the author of Footsteps: Adventures of a Romantic Biographer; Dr. Johnson & Mr. Savage; Shelley: The Pursuit (for which he received the Somerset Maugham Prize); Coleridge: Early Visions; and Coleridge: Darker Reflections (a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist). Holmes writes and reviews regularly for various journals and newspapers, including the New York Review of Books. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the British Academy. He received an honorary Litt.D. from the University of East Anglia, where he was appointed professor of biographical studies in 2001.

Holmes's March 8, 2010, visit to CHF was made possible by the generous support of Merck & Co., Inc., and Stephen Starr Events.

This video was produced by Mia Lobel and Michal Meyer for the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Music from Louise Farrenc's Trio in e op 45 - Vivace, performed by the Streicher Trio, courtesy of Magnatune.

Images courtesy of Conrad Erb, the Roy G Neville Historical Chemical Library, Chemical Heritage Foundation Collections, the Library of Congress, and NASA.

Located in Philadelphia, the Chemical Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the history of chemistry. CHF's museum, which is free and open to the public, explores chemistry's contributions to modern life. In addition to its collections and library, CHF is also home to the Center for Contemporary History and Policy, where scholars lend historical perspective to current scientific issues.

To find out more visit http://www.chemheritage.org

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• romanticism
• fiction
• history of science
• richard holmes
• 19th century
• humphry davy
• joseph priestley