The Age of Wonder

How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

By: Richard Holmes

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

National Book Critics Circle Award, Nonfiction, 2010

The Age of Wonder is a colorful and utterly absorbing history of the men and women whose discoveries and inventions at the end of the eighteenth century gave birth to the Romantic Age of Science.

When young Joseph Banks stepped onto a Tahitian beach in 1769, he hoped to discover Paradise. Inspired by the scientific ferment sweeping through Britain, the botanist had sailed with Captain Cook in search of new worlds. Other voyages of discovery—astronomical, chemical, poetical, philosophical—swiftly follow in Richard Holmes's thrilling evocation of the second scientific revolution. Through the lives of William Herschel and his sister Caroline, who forever changed the public conception of the solar system; of Humphry Davy, whose near-suicidal gas experiments revolutionized chemistry; and of the great Romantic writers, from Mary Shelley to Coleridge and Keats, who were inspired by the scientific breakthroughs of their day, Holmes brings to life the era in which we first realized both the awe-inspiring and the frightening possibilities of science—an era whose consequences are with us still.

©2008 Richard Holmes (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Richard Holmes—who is almost unfairly gifted both as a writer of living, luminous prose and as a tireless researcher—braids Herschel’s story together with a dozen others to create the most joyful, exciting book of the year.” ( Time, The Top 10 Everything of 2009)

Fascinating history and biography rolled into one.

Great storytelling of an incredible time in human history, the evolution of the scientist in Western culture.

wonderful book - completely worth it

I love this book and am on my second time listening. the reading is good but the content is amazing

Great history of early scientific explorations

I enjoyed learning about early scientific explorations in Georgian and Regency England, both as a scientist, and as someone interested in the time-period an an Austen fan. It is a long book and the narrative jumps around sometimes, but the author does a great job in trying to present a coherent picture.

The audiobook narrator does an excellent job.

Great book - fascinating from beginning to end

You get great biography, history of institutions, some literary history/criticism, and the details of how scientific discoveries were made. The opening section on Joseph Banks is worth the price by itself. Exactly what you want from popular science & history.

Fine book, poorly labeled chapters

Really disappointed the chapters are unlabeled, and out of sync, making it hard to really dig-in to this good book. Cross-referencing is frustrating, and irritating. It wouldn't take much to label these chapters just like the book.
This is a fine scholarship, written well, and told by an excellent reader. I just wish this audio book format was more accessible.