About the Author

Edward Dolnick is the author of Down the Great Unknown, The Forger's Spell, and the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist. A former chief science writer at the Boston Globe, he lives with his wife near Washington, D.C.

Reviews

"Dolnick's book is lively and the characters are vivid." -- New York Times Book Review"A character-rich, historical narrative." -- Wall Street Journal"Edward Dolnick's smoothly written history of the scientific revolution tells the stories of the key players and events that transformed society." -- Charlotte Observer"An engrossing read." -- Library Journal"Dolnick . . . writes clearly and unpretentiously about science, and writes equally well about the tumultuous historical context . . . [He] also offers penetrating portraits of the geniuses of the day, many of them idiosyncratic in the extreme, who offer fertile ground for entertaining writing. [Dolnick] has an eye for vivid details in aid of historical recreation, and an affection for his subjects . . . [An] informative read." -- Publishers Weekly"A lively account of early science. . . . Colorful, entertainingly written and nicely paced." -- Kirkus Reviews"Dolnick furnishes a fine survey introduction to a fertile field of scientific biography and history." -- Booklist"[Dolnick] offers penetrating portraits of the geniuses of the day . . . who offer fertile ground for entertaining writing. [He] has an eye for vivid details in aid of historical recreation, and an affection for his subjects . . . [An] informative read." -- Publishers Weekly