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The Lunar Men
Apr. 10th, 2020 11:36 amBook Review: The Lunar Men, by Jenny Uglow
In early March this emerged from a shelf while rummaging for other books, and the plan had been to get it read before Easter so that R could take it with him over the holiday weekend. Well, part of that plan was just achieved, but the rest has fallen into the general wreckage of the covid pandemic.
The book is a group biography of eighteenth century manufacturers, industrialists, scientists and philosophers mostly from the Midlands. Some were driven by very practical concerns, such as Matthew Boulton and Josiah Wedgwood; some more by experiment and curiosity, such as Erasums Darwin and Joseph Priestley. Although the group has a geographical origin, it draws in James Watt from Scotland, and he extends the reach of his new steam engines down to Cornish mines and beyond. It's interesting to note that Darwin generally got away with his unconventional ideas and lifestyle; Priestley's religious and political dissent in turbulent times eventually saw him hounded from the country. The story of Priestley is familiar to me from The Invention of Air and in the area of galvanism and electricity, once again the Shelleys and Byron manage to make an indirect appearance.
Unfortunately, I don't think this was really the right time for me to read this book, as it didn't really keep my attention and I didn't really feel any focus, which is a shame. I suspect if I had more local interest, or if there had been a tighter theme, I might have fared better.
In early March this emerged from a shelf while rummaging for other books, and the plan had been to get it read before Easter so that R could take it with him over the holiday weekend. Well, part of that plan was just achieved, but the rest has fallen into the general wreckage of the covid pandemic.
The book is a group biography of eighteenth century manufacturers, industrialists, scientists and philosophers mostly from the Midlands. Some were driven by very practical concerns, such as Matthew Boulton and Josiah Wedgwood; some more by experiment and curiosity, such as Erasums Darwin and Joseph Priestley. Although the group has a geographical origin, it draws in James Watt from Scotland, and he extends the reach of his new steam engines down to Cornish mines and beyond. It's interesting to note that Darwin generally got away with his unconventional ideas and lifestyle; Priestley's religious and political dissent in turbulent times eventually saw him hounded from the country. The story of Priestley is familiar to me from The Invention of Air and in the area of galvanism and electricity, once again the Shelleys and Byron manage to make an indirect appearance.
Unfortunately, I don't think this was really the right time for me to read this book, as it didn't really keep my attention and I didn't really feel any focus, which is a shame. I suspect if I had more local interest, or if there had been a tighter theme, I might have fared better.