The lost world of James Smithson : science, revolution, and the birth of the Smithsonian / by Heather Ewing
by Ewing, Heather P
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- ISBN 10
- 074757653X
- ISBN 13
- 9780747576532
- Seller
-
Galway, Ireland
3 Copies Available from This Seller
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About This Item
London ; New York : Bloomsbury, 2007. First Edition. Hardcover. In 1836 the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift--a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington ""for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. "" The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became ""America's attic, "" James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest--worth $9 million in today in today's currency--which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams, and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how--and even whether--to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a sweeping portrait of a remarkable man at the center of the English Enlightenment and the creation of America's greatest museum. Heather Ewing is an architectural historian. She has worked for the Smithsonian and the Ringling Museum of Art. She lives in New York. In 1836, the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift--a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington ""for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. "" The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became ""America's attic, "" James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest--worth $9 million in today's currency--which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how--and even whether--to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a sweeping portrait of a remarkable man at the center of the English Enlightenment and the creation of America's greatest museum. An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw, now mylar-sleeved. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new.; 432 pages; Description: 432 p. : ill. , ports. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [354]-412) and index. Subjects: Smithson, James (1765-1829) --Smithsonian Institution --Science --Great Britain --Biography
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [354]-412) and index.
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Details
- Bookseller
- MW Books Ltd. (IE)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 154836
- Title
- The lost world of James Smithson : science, revolution, and the birth of the Smithsonian / by Heather Ewing
- Author
- Ewing, Heather P
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 3
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 074757653X
- ISBN 13
- 9780747576532
- Publisher
- London ; New York : Bloomsbury
- Place of Publication
- London, U.k.
- Date Published
- 2007
Terms of Sale
MW Books Ltd.
Returns accepted within 10 days of receipt if you are unsatisfied with either our description of, or the book itself.
About the Seller
MW Books Ltd.
Biblio member since 2005
Galway
About MW Books Ltd.
MW Books is an academic and antiquarian bookshop with a large stock in core areas such as Early Travel & Exploration, Nineteenth Century Literature, Early Political Economy, Labour and Social History, and Asian and Colonial History. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments regarding any item listed.
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- Tight
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- First Edition
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- New
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