Description
Rising from a humble background in rural southern Ireland, John Tyndall became one of the foremost physicists, communicators of science, and polemicists in mid-Victorian Britain. In science, he is known for his important work in meteorology, climate science, magnetism, acoustics, and bacteriology. His discoveries include the physical basis of the warming of the Earth's atmosphere (the basis of the greenhouse effect), and establishing why the sky is blue. But he was also a leading communicator of science, drawing great crowds to his lectures at the Royal Institution, while also playing an active role in the Royal Society. Tyndall moved in the highest social and intellectual circles. A friend of Tennyson and Carlyle, as well as Michael Faraday and Thomas Huxley, Tyndall was one of the most visible advocates of a scientific world view as tensions grew between developing scientific knowledge and theology. He was an active and often controversial commentator, through letters, essays, speeches, and debates, on the scientific, political, and social issues of the day, with strongly stated views on Ireland, religion, race, and the role of women. Widely read in America, his lecture tour there in 1872-73 was a great success. Roland Jackson paints a picture of an individual at the heart of Victorian science and society. He also describes Tyndall's importance as a pioneering mountaineer in what has become known as the Golden Age of Alpinism. Among other feats, Tyndall was the first to traverse the Matterhorn. He presents Tyndall as a complex personality, full of contrasts, with his intense sense of duty, his deep love of poetry, his generosity to friends and his combativeness, his persistent ill-health alongside great physical stamina driving him to his mountaineering feats. Drawing on Tyndall's letters and journals for this first major biography of Tyndall since 1945, Jackson explores the legacy of a man who aroused strong opinions, strong loyalties, and strong enmities throughout his life.
About the Author
Roland Jackson is a historian of science, with interests also in contemporary science and innovation policy, and in bioethics. His recent posts include: Head of the Science Museum, London; Chief Executive of the British Science Association; and Executive Chair of Sciencewise. He is a General Editor of The Correspondence of John Tyndall, being published in 19 volumes by the Royal Institution.
Reviews
Mr. Jackson amasses a wealth of detail to give a fuller picture of this extraordinary man... [He] has done a great service in his detailed and careful presentation of John Tyndall's life at a time when science is under attack, neglected and misunderstood, especially by those in government. * Peter Pesic, Wall Street Journal *
[A] superb account. * Kevin O'Sullivan, The Irish Times *
It was not until 1945, more than half a century after his death, that a semi-authorised biography of Tyndall was published. Now Jackson has authoritatively redressed this injustice. * Jules Stewart, Geographical Magazine *
This story reveals much about Tyndall ... [this biography] is immensely long and devotedly successful at unearthing the facts of Tyndall's life... * Jonathan Parry, London Review of Books *
Roland Jackson has done a thorough job... it is certainly the best biography of Tyndall. * John Gribbin, Literary Review *
Splendid monument of a biography. * Barbara Kiser, Nature *
The book is well written, at times witty, at other times entirely engrossing. But its major strength is the close, first-hand knowledge of all of Tyndall's writings. Jackson knows Tyndall's primary sources better than anyone and that is why this biography is so satisfying. Jackson is close to his subject, fully grasps the science, has followed Tyndall's paths across the Alps, and has managed to write about it in a smooth, engaging style. * Michael Reidy, Metascience *
One of the most important mountaineering biographies to have been published in recent years... Roland Jackson's biography of John Tyndall is not only a tour de force of scholarship, its also an eminently readable book... It's a magnificent piece of work and a must-read for every scholar of Alpine history. * Alex Roddie, The Great Outdoors *
Excellent biography... The Ascent of John Tyndall is a long-overdue, magnificent tribute to an important, but largely under-appreciated scientist. Highly recommended. * Richard Carter, Friends of Darwin *
Jackson's book is as comprehensive as it is overdue ... Jackson at once recounts the important events of Tyndall's life and uses Tyndall himself to build a richly textured picture of the social and scientific world in which he lived. The book favours a rigorous attention to detail ... Jackson's impressive facility with the scientific and political contexts of Tyndall's late-nineteenth-century world enables him to weave together a series of themes that define both the man and the period, providing a useful and comprehensive launching pad for a wide variety of forays in to the social and scientific worlds of Victorian England. * Joshue Howe, Annals of Science *
Jackson's book is as comprehensive as it is overdue ... Jackson at once recounts the important events of Tyndall's life and uses Tyndall himself to build a richly textured picture of the social and scientific world in which he lived. The book favours a rigorous attention to detail ... Jackson's impressive facility with the scientific and political contexts of Tyndall's late-nineteenth-century world enables him to weave together a series of themes that define both the man and the period, providing a useful and comprehensive launching pad for a wide variety of forays in to the social and scientific worlds of Victorian England. * Joshue Howe, Annals of Science *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198788942
Author Roland Jackson
Format Paperback
Page Count 576
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 518g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 129mm * 44mm
About the Author
Roland Jackson is a historian of science, with interests also in contemporary science and innovation policy, and in bioethics. His recent posts include: Head of the Science Museum, London; Chief Executive of the British Science Association; and Executive Chair of Sciencewise. He is a General Editor of The Correspondence of John Tyndall, being published in 19 volumes by the Royal Institution.
Reviews
Mr. Jackson amasses a wealth of detail to give a fuller picture of this extraordinary man... [He] has done a great service in his detailed and careful presentation of John Tyndall's life at a time when science is under attack, neglected and misunderstood, especially by those in government. * Peter Pesic, Wall Street Journal *
[A] superb account. * Kevin O'Sullivan, The Irish Times *
It was not until 1945, more than half a century after his death, that a semi-authorised biography of Tyndall was published. Now Jackson has authoritatively redressed this injustice. * Jules Stewart, Geographical Magazine *
This story reveals much about Tyndall ... [this biography] is immensely long and devotedly successful at unearthing the facts of Tyndall's life... * Jonathan Parry, London Review of Books *
Roland Jackson has done a thorough job... it is certainly the best biography of Tyndall. * John Gribbin, Literary Review *
Splendid monument of a biography. * Barbara Kiser, Nature *
The book is well written, at times witty, at other times entirely engrossing. But its major strength is the close, first-hand knowledge of all of Tyndall's writings. Jackson knows Tyndall's primary sources better than anyone and that is why this biography is so satisfying. Jackson is close to his subject, fully grasps the science, has followed Tyndall's paths across the Alps, and has managed to write about it in a smooth, engaging style. * Michael Reidy, Metascience *
One of the most important mountaineering biographies to have been published in recent years... Roland Jackson's biography of John Tyndall is not only a tour de force of scholarship, its also an eminently readable book... It's a magnificent piece of work and a must-read for every scholar of Alpine history. * Alex Roddie, The Great Outdoors *
Excellent biography... The Ascent of John Tyndall is a long-overdue, magnificent tribute to an important, but largely under-appreciated scientist. Highly recommended. * Richard Carter, Friends of Darwin *
Jackson's book is as comprehensive as it is overdue ... Jackson at once recounts the important events of Tyndall's life and uses Tyndall himself to build a richly textured picture of the social and scientific world in which he lived. The book favours a rigorous attention to detail ... Jackson's impressive facility with the scientific and political contexts of Tyndall's late-nineteenth-century world enables him to weave together a series of themes that define both the man and the period, providing a useful and comprehensive launching pad for a wide variety of forays in to the social and scientific worlds of Victorian England. * Joshue Howe, Annals of Science *
Jackson's book is as comprehensive as it is overdue ... Jackson at once recounts the important events of Tyndall's life and uses Tyndall himself to build a richly textured picture of the social and scientific world in which he lived. The book favours a rigorous attention to detail ... Jackson's impressive facility with the scientific and political contexts of Tyndall's late-nineteenth-century world enables him to weave together a series of themes that define both the man and the period, providing a useful and comprehensive launching pad for a wide variety of forays in to the social and scientific worlds of Victorian England. * Joshue Howe, Annals of Science *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198788942
Author Roland Jackson
Format Paperback
Page Count 576
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 518g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 129mm * 44mm
