Victorian Sensation

Victorian Sensation PDF Author: James A. Secord
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022615825X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 645

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Book Description
Fiction or philosophy, profound knowledge or shocking heresy? When Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation was published anonymously in 1844, it sparked one of the greatest sensations of the Victorian era. More than a hundred thousand readers were spellbound by its startling vision—an account of the world that extended from the formation of the solar system to the spiritual destiny of humanity. As gripping as a popular novel, Vestiges combined all the current scientific theories in fields ranging from astronomy and geology to psychology and economics. The book was banned, it was damned, it was hailed as the gospel for a new age. This is where our own public controversies about evolution began. In a pioneering cultural history, James A. Secord uses the story of Vestiges to create a panoramic portrait of life in the early industrial era from the perspective of its readers. We join apprentices in a factory town as they debate the consequences of an evolutionary ancestry. We listen as Prince Albert reads aloud to Queen Victoria from a book that preachers denounced as blasphemy vomited from the mouth of Satan. And we watch as Charles Darwin turns its pages in the flea-ridden British Museum library, fearful for the fate of his own unpublished theory of evolution. Using secret letters, Secord reveals how Vestiges was written and how the anonymity of its author was maintained for forty years. He also takes us behind the scenes to a bustling world of publishers, printers, and booksellers to show how the furor over the book reflected the emerging industrial economy of print. Beautifully written and based on painstaking research, Victorian Sensation offers a new approach to literary history, the history of reading, and the history of science. Profusely illustrated and full of fascinating stories, it is the most comprehensive account of the making and reception of a book (other than the Bible) ever attempted. Winner of the 2002 Pfizer Award from the History of Science Society

Victorian Sensation

Victorian Sensation PDF Author: James A. Secord
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022615825X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 645

Get Book

Book Description
Fiction or philosophy, profound knowledge or shocking heresy? When Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation was published anonymously in 1844, it sparked one of the greatest sensations of the Victorian era. More than a hundred thousand readers were spellbound by its startling vision—an account of the world that extended from the formation of the solar system to the spiritual destiny of humanity. As gripping as a popular novel, Vestiges combined all the current scientific theories in fields ranging from astronomy and geology to psychology and economics. The book was banned, it was damned, it was hailed as the gospel for a new age. This is where our own public controversies about evolution began. In a pioneering cultural history, James A. Secord uses the story of Vestiges to create a panoramic portrait of life in the early industrial era from the perspective of its readers. We join apprentices in a factory town as they debate the consequences of an evolutionary ancestry. We listen as Prince Albert reads aloud to Queen Victoria from a book that preachers denounced as blasphemy vomited from the mouth of Satan. And we watch as Charles Darwin turns its pages in the flea-ridden British Museum library, fearful for the fate of his own unpublished theory of evolution. Using secret letters, Secord reveals how Vestiges was written and how the anonymity of its author was maintained for forty years. He also takes us behind the scenes to a bustling world of publishers, printers, and booksellers to show how the furor over the book reflected the emerging industrial economy of print. Beautifully written and based on painstaking research, Victorian Sensation offers a new approach to literary history, the history of reading, and the history of science. Profusely illustrated and full of fascinating stories, it is the most comprehensive account of the making and reception of a book (other than the Bible) ever attempted. Winner of the 2002 Pfizer Award from the History of Science Society

Explanations

Explanations PDF Author: Robert Chambers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Creation
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description


Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation PDF Author: Robert Chambers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Creation
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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An Expository Outline of the "Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation."

An Expository Outline of the Author: Samuel Laing
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Evolution
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description


Vestige of the Natural History of Creation

Vestige of the Natural History of Creation PDF Author: Robert Chambers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Evolution
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description


Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation PDF Author: Robert Chambers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Evolution
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description


Evolutionary Writings

Evolutionary Writings PDF Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191549142
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
'Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin' On topics ranging from intelligent design and climate change to the politics of gender and race, the evolutionary writings of Charles Darwin occupy a pivotal position in contemporary public debate. This volume brings together the key chapters of his most important and accessible books, including the Journal of Researches on the Beagle voyage (1845), the Origin of Species (1871), and the Descent of Man, along with the full text of his delightful autobiography. They are accompanied by generous selections of responses from Darwin's nineteenth-century readers from across the world. More than anything, they give a keen sense of the controversial nature of Darwin's ideas, and his position within Victorian debates about man's place in nature. The wide-ranging introduction by James A. Secord, Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project, explores the global impact and origins of Darwin's work and the reasons for its unparalleled significance today. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Views of the Architecture of the Heavens

Views of the Architecture of the Heavens PDF Author: John Pringle Nichol
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nebulae
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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An Expository Outline of the "Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation"

An Expository Outline of the Author: S. Laing
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Book Description
The author of this book, Samuel Laing, was a British railway administrator, politician, and writer on science and religion during the Victorian era. Although he didn't have any scientific education, he often wrote on science matters. His writings were widely read in his times due to the writer's influential position, the experience of affairs, and clear style. The author also displayed a well-informed treatment of the scientific problems of the day.

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation PDF Author: Robert Chambers
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3734017882
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
Reproduction of the original: Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation by Robert Chambers