Reddit Reddit reviews The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science

We found 10 Reddit comments about The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Biographies
Books
Historical Biographies
Historical British Biographies
Historical European Biographies
The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science
Vintage Books USA
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10 Reddit comments about The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science:

u/Kerri_Struggles · 575 pointsr/AskHistorians

Your question made me think me think of James Cook and Joseph Banks' experiences as described in Richard Holmes' The Age of Wonder. I went back to it looking for some insight.

Most conflicts between the islanders and the ship's men seemed to revolve around theft. Sex, on the other hand, seemed to be an amicable form of trade:

> Much time was spent in bargaining for sexual favors. The basic currency was any kind of usable metal object: there was no need for gold or silver or trinkets. Among the able seamen the initial going rate was one ship's nail for one ordinary fuck, but hyper-inflation soon set in. The Tahitians well understood a market economy. There was a run on anything metal that could be smuggled off the ship - cutlery, cleats, handles, cooking utensils, spare tools, but especially nails. It was said that the Endeavour's carpenter soon operated an illegal monopoly on metal goods, and nails were leaving the ship by the sackful.

Their queen, Oborea, allowed Banks to sleep with her personal servant, Otheothea, and later offered herself as a companion (though Banks wasn't interested). He also describes a Tahitian man bartering with him for the use of a woman. So it seems like the trading of sexual favors was acceptable within the Tahitian community. But I doubt the Tahitians were happy with their women acquiring "the British disease" - the STD - that became rampant during the ship's stay.

Edit: In response to u/359RP's question, another excerpt from Holmes' book:

> The only Tahitian practice that Banks found totally alien and repulsive was that of infanticide, which was used regularly and without compunction as a form of birth control by couples who were not ready yet to support children. Banks could scarcely believe this, until he questioned several couples who freely admitted to destroying two or three children, showing not the slightest apparent guilt or regret. This was a different kind of innocence, one far harder to accept. Banks pursued the question, and found that the custom originated in the formation of communal groups in which the trading of sexual favors were freely exchanged between different partners.

Source: The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes (2010, Kindle edition)

u/possompants · 12 pointsr/books

The Age of Wonder tells historical stories about scientists working in the late 1700's - interesting mix of various sciences, philosophy, and history.

u/Toadforpresident · 9 pointsr/todayilearned

There's a great book, The Age of Wonder, that goes into a lot of detail about Herschel's life (including other scientists in that generation). Pretty fascinating guy, he also had a brilliant sister (Caroline Herschel) who was a famous comet 'hunter'.

He eventually built a 40 foot telescope which became famous, which his sister helped him operate. If I'm not mistaken, Herschel was also one of the first to hit upon the idea of deep space and the vast distances involved.

u/Solleret · 3 pointsr/literature

If you like the Romantics, you can't go wrong with anything by Richard Holmes:

u/LocalAmazonBot · 3 pointsr/todayilearned

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: The Age of Wonder

u/bensully · 2 pointsr/books

I can't believe nobody has mentioned The Age of Wonder yet. This is one of the best non-fiction science books that I've ever read. Great narrative, great information, very entertaining.

u/CrucialWax · 2 pointsr/history

It's been a while since I picked it up, but The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes has a lot of information on both Mary Shelley and the scientific scene during the late 18th/early 19th century.

At that point in science people were making some astonishing breakthroughs: planets were being discovered, Humphrey Davies was experimenting with the power of chemicals, the first hot-air balloons were being created, etc. Basically, it was a point in English history when both Romanticism and Science were making breakthroughs and the current mood of England was one of unbridled wonder at the possibilities of science.

u/determinism89 · 1 pointr/engineering

The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes. It gives a pretty good background for the scientific tradition that we participate in today through the lives and works of noteworthy scientists.

If you dig science fiction, this guy is really amusing. The cyberiad or The Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem.

u/Robby00 · 1 pointr/infp

If you dig non-fiction and science and biographies I recommend my favorite book: The Age of Wonder

https://www.amazon.com/Age-Wonder-Romantic-Generation-Discovery/dp/1400031877

u/Tamatebako · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

I really enjoyed Richard Holmes' The Age of Wonder and also Chaos and The Information by James Gleick.