Rating: 
Summary: Hurrah Hurrah!
Review: ...and about time too! When Janet Browne left us nearly seven years ago after her brilliant Volume 1 of Darwin's life, she left us more or less literally on edge. Darwin was back from his Voyage, settled outside of London, ruminating on everything from pigeons to barnacles, and just about to be forced by the timely arrival of Wallace's manuscript to blow the doors off Victorian science. And then... and then... we waited & waited. Now Volume 2 is here & I am happy to report that it is just as good if not better than Vol. 1. Browne may have left her readers, but she didn't leave Darwin -she has been an associate editor for the complete Darwin correspondance- and this undoubtably is part of the reason that she has been so successful in capturing both Darwin the Legend & Darwin the Person. Browne's scholarship and enthusiasm allows one to get a real sense of both time and place, and what a Time & what a Place! Here we have heroes and villains, a galaxy of scientific stars & ordinary people swirling around this remarkable man walking in his garden & engaged in his lifelong quest for what he aptly called the Mystery of Mysteries: the Origin of Species. What I also enjoy is that this isn't a simple hagiography, one sees Darwin warts and all, but without any of the "psychohistorical" second guessing that has spoiled a number of other biographies for me. Picking up this book was like resuming a wonderful conversation right where one left off years ago. If you read just one biography of Darwin (or if you have read lots!) this is it, you are in for a treat!
Rating:
Summary: a wonderful read
Review: >...One morning in 1858 Charles Darwin picked up his mail and discovered a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace. Darwin had spent 20 years working out evidence to support his theory of natural selection, secure in the knowledge that the theory was too radical and the details too arcane for anyone else to have thought out. He could have published all or part of his work at almost any point; his closest scientific friends often urged him to do so. But he kept silent because he dreaded the consequences: Publication would invite public condemnation likely to make Rome's reception of Galileo look friendly. He didn't think that he could bear the notoriety. Then came the paper from Wallace, laying out the theory of natural selection in words that could very nearly have been Darwin's own. Janet Browne could not have chosen a more dramatic incident to begin the second book of her riveting two-volume biography of Darwin. In the entire range of intellectual history, there is not a moment that tops the Darwin-Wallace collision for sheer human drama. With Wallace somewhere in the remote rain forest of southeast Asia - weeks away by the fastest steamers - no one would ever have known if Darwin had "lost" that manuscript. It is unlikely that he even considered such a course. Over the course of these two volumes, we come to understand the man's character intimately. Partly because Browne has waded through endless bundles of family letters that have sat unread since the original recipients tied them with silk ribbons. Partly because Browne, a British professor of the history of biology, understands Darwin's world. But mostly because she is a master of the art of biography. Darwin was bound to publish Wallace's paper. The great question was, would he publish his own? His agonized decision came down to deciding which he dreaded more: facing the public scorn that evolution aroused in Victorian England, or allowing credit for the theory that had been his life's work to go to someone else. At this point the story becomes weirdly modern. Darwin inhabited an old-fashioned world that is very foreign to us. He got the chance to explore not because he was a qualified scientist, but because he was a conversable gentleman from the right sort of family. He never held a paying job. Some English gentlemen did work, but it was more respectable to settle in a big country house and live on inherited money. Charles married his first cousin, and each of them inherited part of grandpapa Wedgewood's china fortune. But the most startlingly unmodern thing about Darwin was, in the words of his son Francis, "the curious fact that he who has altered the face of Biological Science, and is in this respect the chief of the moderns, should have written and worked in so essentially a non-modern spirit and manner." During the course of Darwin's career, scientific instrument makers began to produce equipment that improved, for example, the control of moisture or light available to growing plants. Yet Darwin continued to potter about the kitchen, rigging equipment with material borrowed from his wife's sewing basket. His hopelessly old-fashioned methods produced cutting-edge science right up to the year he died. When it came to handling the publicity for "The Origin of Species," by contrast, the slickest Madison Avenue PR firm could not have been more cutting edge than Darwin and his tailcoated friends. With finesse a modern publisher must envy, Darwin softened up potential reviewers by sending signed copies with admiring, personal notes to nearly every eminent scientist in Europe and America. (Full disclosure: I have never received a personal letter from either Janet Browne or Charles Darwin.) As often as possible, however, Darwin's scientific friends avoided any risk of getting a bad review by writing the reviews themselves, an easier trick in the days when reviews ran anonymously. They also set about making certain that reviews would run in all the right places. In the cozy Victorian world of British science, becoming a scientist in the first place indicated that one had come from a financially comfortable background. The eminent men of science and of letters had gone to the same schools and belonged to the same clubs, clubs whose more tedious members could tell you precisely which scientist was the cousin of which editor on precisely which side of the family. This look inside the workings of Victorian science is among the great fascinations of Browne's book. Darwin's friends needed a compelling explication of evolution to move science forward. The minute Wallace's paper arrived, they pushed hard for Darwin to publish. No sooner had the "Origin" gone to the typesetter, than Darwin and his friends set about ensuring that not only the book but the theory itself would succeed. Every stop was pulled in the battle against creationism. Finally, in a carefully orchestrated publicity maneuver on behalf of evolutionary theory, two dukes, one earl, the American ambassador, the president of the Royal Society, and four eminent scientists - Wallace, Hooker, Lubbock, and Huxley - carried the old atheist's coffin to a grave in Westminster Abbey. But not even death could free Darwin from controversy...
Rating:
Summary: The Origins of 'My' Theory
Review: As a Darwin critic, I had passed this book by nose in the air, a full scale boycott, but a new biography of Darwin proved too hard to resist and I broke down and read the book, fortunately, since it turned out to be hard to put down, in a time-out on the Darwin debate. This is the second volume, but is fine taken alone, and opens with the arrival of the famous Ternate letter of Wallace. I was eagle-eyed at once, since this is the 'gulch' of Darwin biographica where the mystery of the origin of 'Origin' is beset with myth, coverup and suspicion. This treatment finesses the question slightly, but is a good depiction of how Darwinians actually see this strange moment of the priority dispute. From there it is plain sailing in a history best told by a Darwin fan, no doubt, and I found the accumulation of tidbits excellent, and a compelling read. One also has the Moore & Desmond account, with its clearer focus on the ideological dimension, but, in fact, this account cogently shows the world of nineteenth century cultural establishments in action at close hand, and the place of Darwin in that context--there is no mystery to the successful promotion of his views, given this picture. This is just about the 'baseline' Darwin biography and superb on its own turf.
Back to the Darwin debate.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Biography of Darwin, part 2.
Review: As several reviewers (including at least one critic of Darwin) have said, this volume is part of the best biography of Darwin yet published. It is hard to criticize this work as Janet Browne has included more detail and hit the nail on the head more times than in any other treatment of Darwin and his ideas. I have read five biographies, several specialized biographies and Darwin's autobiography and can easily say that this by far the best! Browne is simply superb in capturing the spirit of Victorian England and weaving it into a cogent story of the background and inspiration for "The Origin of Species," as well as Darwin's latter work. This volume covers the period from the receipt of Wallace's manuscript on natural selection through Darwin's death. It finally puts paid to the popular notion that Darwin stole his ideas from Wallace, without slighting the originality of the younger man. Darwin was a great thinker, not because he was unusually brilliant, but because he concentrated his thinking on a problem until he came up with a plausible explanation backed up by numerous bits of circumstantial evidence. While many changes have occurred in evolutionary thought because of the genetic and molecular revolutions, Darwin produced the most complete arguments for the common descent of organisms available to science at the time. He thus laid the foundation of our understanding of modern biology. This is true despite opinions to the contrary and, indeed, without evolutionary theory we would have to say goodbye to rigor in not only biology, but geology and astronomy as well! It is my hope that anybody interested in the historical background of evolutionary theory will read both of Browne's books. They are well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Biography of Darwin, part 2.
Review: As several reviewers (including at least one critic of Darwin) have said, this volume is part of the best biography of Darwin yet published. It is hard to criticize this work as Janet Browne has included more detail and hit the nail on the head more times than in any other treatment of Darwin and his ideas. I have read five biographies, several specialized biographies and Darwin's autobiography and can easily say that this by far the best! Browne is simply superb in capturing the spirit of Victorian England and weaving it into a cogent story of the background and inspiration for "The Origin of Species," as well as Darwin's latter work. This volume covers the period from the receipt of Wallace's manuscript on natural selection through Darwin's death. It finally puts paid to the popular notion that Darwin stole his ideas from Wallace, without slighting the originality of the younger man. Darwin was a great thinker, not because he was unusually brilliant, but because he concentrated his thinking on a problem until he came up with a plausible explanation backed up by numerous bits of circumstantial evidence. While many changes have occurred in evolutionary thought because of the genetic and molecular revolutions, Darwin produced the most complete arguments for the common descent of organisms available to science at the time. He thus laid the foundation of our understanding of modern biology. This is true despite opinions to the contrary and, indeed, without evolutionary theory we would have to say goodbye to rigor in not only biology, but geology and astronomy as well! It is my hope that anybody interested in the historical background of evolutionary theory will read both of Browne's books. They are well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Gentleman, gardener, genius, human . . .
Review: Charles Darwin's "place" in history is secure. The concept of evolution by natural selection was "the single best idea anyone has ever had," as Daniel C. Dennett so aptly put it. Although the idea seems simple, Browne establishes that the man who conceived it was anything but that. In taking two substantial volumes to depict Darwin's life, Browne reveals the complexity and control hidden beneath his serene outward demeanor. For many years, Darwin's seclusion at Down House left the impression of the retired, retiring scientific thinker. On the contrary, Browne shows "a remarkable tactician" manipulating friends,
colleagues and, in the final analysis, society at large. This compelling study is the outstanding work on Darwin. Her focus on his motivations, activities and other aspects of what made him such a towering figure makes this a remarkable work. This magnificent study and its companion "Voyaging" will maintain their value as Darwin's pre-eminent account for many years. The pivotal point, of course, is Darwin's 1859 book, The Origin of Species. Browne recounts the "Wallace letter" which nearly toppled Darwin from the place of priority in developing the idea of natural selection. Darwin's friends and colleagues rallied to sustain him while maintaining fairness to both him and Wallace. The many years of study Darwin had given to the concept resulted in the volume that changed our view of life, but it remains an open question whether he would have published without the "thunderbolt from Ternate." Browne's view isn't narrow, however, as she places Origin within the broader schema of Victorian writing, whether fiction, social commentary, poetry or science. Browne leads us through the years of turmoil following publication of Origin. Strangely, she notes, the chief objectors were fellow scientists, not the religious establishment. Even the British Association debate, often considered the pivot point for making the public aware of the book's meaning, brought out a churchman who had been prompted by one of Darwin's scientific peers. Although Darwin remained at Down throughout the ensuing years, he maintained constant control of those who spoke for him. He reached Continental readers quickly, although troubled by freely editing translators. This account portrays Darwin's "place" by almost every definition of the term. Browne shows Darwin's status among his colleagues, depicts him as a teacher, a father, a member of his community, both locally and in the grander Victorian Era setting. Darwin was a man of his class, most of which endorsed thinking and speculation. Most importantly, she shows his stature as a human, at times fearful, courageous, withdrawing, helpful to his friends and scornful of his enemies. He counseled his children, or used them for help, as the moment demanded. He sought to protect his wife, but Browne makes clear Emma was under few illusions of the meaning of natural selection. Darwin was no hypocrite, but was long in reaching his final dismissal of deities. Whatever the enduring nature of his idea, the man, Browne asserts, still remained a mortal figure. Beyond Origin, Browne relates Darwin's conflicting feelings leading to later works - Descent of Man, plant domestication, orchids, emotional expression and the obscure world of earthworms. Many of these publications would later prove fundamentally supportive of natural selection. All required immense amounts of study, communication and writing. He tended his own plants, studied earthworms at night and used the new technology of phototgraphy. The variation in topics and methods reflects once again Darwin's genius, but even more his strengths as a naturalist. Little escaped his scrutiny and he was able to impart his findings with flowing prose reaching a wide public. All these accomplishments were achieved in spite of frequent illnesses, none of which were successfully treated. We owe much to Darwin, and Browne has discharged a significant portion of the debt with this book. The labour of many years, it's an elegant portrayal, worthy of the effort so evident in its making. Whatever your interests, sit down with this book and meet the man Browne has re-introduced to us. It will be a rewarding experience. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: Gentleman, gardener, genius, human . . .
Review: Charles Darwin's "place" in history is secure. The concept of evolution by natural selection was "the single best idea anyone has ever had," as Daniel C. Dennett so aptly put it. Although the idea seems simple, Browne establishes that the man who conceived it was anything but that. In taking two substantial volumes to depict Darwin's life, Browne reveals the complexity and control hidden beneath his serene outward demeanor. For many years, Darwin's seclusion at Down House left the impression of the retired, retiring scientific thinker. On the contrary, Browne shows "a remarkable tactician" manipulating friends,
colleagues and, in the final analysis, society at large. This compelling study is the outstanding work on Darwin. Her focus on his motivations, activities and other aspects of what made him such a towering figure makes this a remarkable work. This magnificent study and its companion "Voyaging" will maintain their value as Darwin's pre-eminent account for many years. The pivotal point, of course, is Darwin's 1859 book, The Origin of Species. Browne recounts the "Wallace letter" which nearly toppled Darwin from the place of priority in developing the idea of natural selection. Darwin's friends and colleagues rallied to sustain him while maintaining fairness to both him and Wallace. The many years of study Darwin had given to the concept resulted in the volume that changed our view of life, but it remains an open question whether he would have published without the "thunderbolt from Ternate." Browne's view isn't narrow, however, as she places Origin within the broader schema of Victorian writing, whether fiction, social commentary, poetry or science. Browne leads us through the years of turmoil following publication of Origin. Strangely, she notes, the chief objectors were fellow scientists, not the religious establishment. Even the British Association debate, often considered the pivot point for making the public aware of the book's meaning, brought out a churchman who had been prompted by one of Darwin's scientific peers. Although Darwin remained at Down throughout the ensuing years, he maintained constant control of those who spoke for him. He reached Continental readers quickly, although troubled by freely editing translators. This account portrays Darwin's "place" by almost every definition of the term. Browne shows Darwin's status among his colleagues, depicts him as a teacher, a father, a member of his community, both locally and in the grander Victorian Era setting. Darwin was a man of his class, most of which endorsed thinking and speculation. Most importantly, she shows his stature as a human, at times fearful, courageous, withdrawing, helpful to his friends and scornful of his enemies. He counseled his children, or used them for help, as the moment demanded. He sought to protect his wife, but Browne makes clear Emma was under few illusions of the meaning of natural selection. Darwin was no hypocrite, but was long in reaching his final dismissal of deities. Whatever the enduring nature of his idea, the man, Browne asserts, still remained a mortal figure. Beyond Origin, Browne relates Darwin's conflicting feelings leading to later works - Descent of Man, plant domestication, orchids, emotional expression and the obscure world of earthworms. Many of these publications would later prove fundamentally supportive of natural selection. All required immense amounts of study, communication and writing. He tended his own plants, studied earthworms at night and used the new technology of phototgraphy. The variation in topics and methods reflects once again Darwin's genius, but even more his strengths as a naturalist. Little escaped his scrutiny and he was able to impart his findings with flowing prose reaching a wide public. All these accomplishments were achieved in spite of frequent illnesses, none of which were successfully treated. We owe much to Darwin, and Browne has discharged a significant portion of the debt with this book. The labour of many years, it's an elegant portrayal, worthy of the effort so evident in its making. Whatever your interests, sit down with this book and meet the man Browne has re-introduced to us. It will be a rewarding experience. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BY FAR
Review: Of the dozens of books I have read of the life and works Of Charles Darwin, this, by far, is the best and most comprehensive.
The book covers the later portion of Darwins life, the time of his fame. I particularly enjoyed and was enlighted by the author's coverage of Victorian life and how it affected Darwin, his contemporaries, and influenced their thoughts and beliefs. I appreciated the way the author not only covered Darwin, the scientist, but Darwin the person and how the author examined the role of Darwin's wife and their relationship. This is a very detailed book, not one that can be read in a couple of settings. It gives us much to ponder. The style is excellent, much better than most English academics produce, i.e. it is readable. I highly recommend it as a read and an addition to your library.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Biographical Work on Darwin
Review: This is the second volume of Janet Browne's outstanding biography of Darwin. The first volume, Voyaging, covered Darwin's family, childhood, early adulthood, the voyage of the Beagle, and the formation of his ideas of evolution and natural selection. This book begins with Darwin established firmly as a major figure in British (and international) scientific life and settled happily with his large family at Down House in Sussex. Working on several projects and slowly on what he intends to be a major series of volumes on the 'species question', which he has essentially solved years earlier, Darwin's tranquility is disturbed when he receives a proposed article from the itinerent naturalist and collector, Alfred Russell Wallace. Seeking Darwin's patronage for his ideas, Wallace has also developed independently a theory of evolution and natural selection. This event precipitates Darwin's publication of his ideas and the publication of the first of his many books on evolution. The result is modern biology and Darwin's ascent from esteemed scientist known to a small circle of colleagues to Victorian celebrity.
Browne presents Darwin as a man who was in many important respects a deeply conventional Victorian. A benevolent patriarch who governed his family carefully but firmly, he had conventional moral views. His politics were Liberal but not Radical in nature, reflecting his middle class and Dissenting family background. Strongly attached to his home, he shunned publicity and preferred family and a close circle of friends to a more open social life. He had a retiring personality but a strong sense of responsibility and served as local magistrate and as a vestryman for his local parish. Browne emphasizes his strong sense of connection with his home, his rural neighborhood (if that is the correct term), and his country.
Beneath this surface of conventionality and parochialism, Darwin was a decidedly unconventional thinker and a man with an unmatched perspective on the natural world. Darwin spent hours every day engaged in correspondence on biologically related subjects. His accumulated correspondence (of which Browne is co-editor)comprises thousands and thousands of letters. He had an international network of correspondents and pursued information on a dizzying array of topics related to biology and natural history. Darwin was undoubtedly the best informed biologist of his time and possibly in human history. Once he developed his basic insights into evolution and natural selection, Darwin pursued his ideas to their logical conclusions. This led him to deeply unconventional ideas, notably the abandonement of any notions that a higher power guided life on earth. Most of his closest collaborators and friends could not follow him along this path. Wallace, for example, could not accept that natural variation and variation seen in domesticated animals was due to the same underlying phenomenon. Wallace could not also accept that human evolution was without divine guidance. The American botanist Asa Gray, Darwin's friend and American publicist, and his mentor the geologist Charles Lyell, continued to feel that evolution was guided in some manner. Darwin's friend and vociferous defender, TH Huxley, accepted evolution without divine guidance but not that natural selection was its driving force. The inability of most Victorians to accept all of Darwin's ideas illustrates how difficult it was to abandon conventional religous ideas and the dominant Victorian notion of Progress. This fact illustrates also Darwin's intellectual radicalism in his own time.
Given Darwin's mixture of parochialism and internationalis, what is The Power of Place which Browne features in the title of this volume? Browne does not explicitly tell readers but her outstanding exposition makes clear that Darwin's place was the whole natural world. His remarkable ability to observe and experiment with local phenomena, his incredible knowledge of biology, and his conviction that a small number of basic forces underly all biological phenomena, relfected his conviction that what he observed in his backyard was universally applicable. Darwin devoted thousands of writing to demonstrating that power of his insights. As he pointed out, the power of his ideas is that they explain not just a few phenomena but virtually the whole span of biology, a fact confirmed triumphantly in the course of the 20th century. This is not to say that all his ideas were correct. His pangenesis hypothesis of hereditary was deeply wrong, but his core ideas remain indisputable.
Browne shows beautifully that Darwin's dedication to preserving his quiet life was necessary for his career. Independently wealthy because of his father's shrewd investments and his own astute financial management, Darwin didn't have to be a professional scientist. This freed him from the administrative and educational obligations of professional scientists like his friends Huxley or Hooker. It also gave him the freedom not to specialize. Though he remained dedicated to botany, he pursued a remarkable number of other topics, and essentially had an intellectual freedom that was probably unparalleled in this time. Browne shows well how Darwin's chronic illness fits into this pattern. Rather than speculating about the causes of his chronic illness, she shows how it fit into the pattern of his life.
As with Voyaging, this book also casts valuable light on other important aspects of Victorian life. This book contains extremely useful information on the function of the Victorian postal system, the organization of Victorian science, Victorian publishing, and family life.
Browne is that rare combination of superb scholar with an outstanding and unobtrusive writing style. A terrific book.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Biographical Work on Darwin
Review: This is the second volume of Janet Browne's outstanding biography of Darwin. The first volume, Voyaging, covered Darwin's family, childhood, early adulthood, the voyage of the Beagle, and the formation of his ideas of evolution and natural selection. This book begins with Darwin established firmly as a major figure in British (and international) scientific life and settled happily with his large family at Down House in Sussex. Working on several projects and slowly on what he intends to be a major series of volumes on the 'species question', which he has essentially solved years earlier, Darwin's tranquility is disturbed when he receives a proposed article from the itinerent naturalist and collector, Alfred Russell Wallace. Seeking Darwin's patronage for his ideas, Wallace has also developed independently a theory of evolution and natural selection. This event precipitates Darwin's publication of his ideas and the publication of the first of his many books on evolution. The result is modern biology and Darwin's ascent from esteemed scientist known to a small circle of colleagues to Victorian celebrity.
Browne presents Darwin as a man who was in many important respects a deeply conventional Victorian. A benevolent patriarch who governed his family carefully but firmly, he had conventional moral views. His politics were Liberal but not Radical in nature, reflecting his middle class and Dissenting family background. Strongly attached to his home, he shunned publicity and preferred family and a close circle of friends to a more open social life. He had a retiring personality but a strong sense of responsibility and served as local magistrate and as a vestryman for his local parish. Browne emphasizes his strong sense of connection with his home, his rural neighborhood (if that is the correct term), and his country.
Beneath this surface of conventionality and parochialism, Darwin was a decidedly unconventional thinker and a man with an unmatched perspective on the natural world. Darwin spent hours every day engaged in correspondence on biologically related subjects. His accumulated correspondence (of which Browne is co-editor)comprises thousands and thousands of letters. He had an international network of correspondents and pursued information on a dizzying array of topics related to biology and natural history. Darwin was undoubtedly the best informed biologist of his time and possibly in human history. Once he developed his basic insights into evolution and natural selection, Darwin pursued his ideas to their logical conclusions. This led him to deeply unconventional ideas, notably the abandonement of any notions that a higher power guided life on earth. Most of his closest collaborators and friends could not follow him along this path. Wallace, for example, could not accept that natural variation and variation seen in domesticated animals was due to the same underlying phenomenon. Wallace could not also accept that human evolution was without divine guidance. The American botanist Asa Gray, Darwin's friend and American publicist, and his mentor the geologist Charles Lyell, continued to feel that evolution was guided in some manner. Darwin's friend and vociferous defender, TH Huxley, accepted evolution without divine guidance but not that natural selection was its driving force. The inability of most Victorians to accept all of Darwin's ideas illustrates how difficult it was to abandon conventional religous ideas and the dominant Victorian notion of Progress. This fact illustrates also Darwin's intellectual radicalism in his own time.
Given Darwin's mixture of parochialism and internationalis, what is The Power of Place which Browne features in the title of this volume? Browne does not explicitly tell readers but her outstanding exposition makes clear that Darwin's place was the whole natural world. His remarkable ability to observe and experiment with local phenomena, his incredible knowledge of biology, and his conviction that a small number of basic forces underly all biological phenomena, relfected his conviction that what he observed in his backyard was universally applicable. Darwin devoted thousands of writing to demonstrating that power of his insights. As he pointed out, the power of his ideas is that they explain not just a few phenomena but virtually the whole span of biology, a fact confirmed triumphantly in the course of the 20th century. This is not to say that all his ideas were correct. His pangenesis hypothesis of hereditary was deeply wrong, but his core ideas remain indisputable.
Browne shows beautifully that Darwin's dedication to preserving his quiet life was necessary for his career. Independently wealthy because of his father's shrewd investments and his own astute financial management, Darwin didn't have to be a professional scientist. This freed him from the administrative and educational obligations of professional scientists like his friends Huxley or Hooker. It also gave him the freedom not to specialize. Though he remained dedicated to botany, he pursued a remarkable number of other topics, and essentially had an intellectual freedom that was probably unparalleled in this time. Browne shows well how Darwin's chronic illness fits into this pattern. Rather than speculating about the causes of his chronic illness, she shows how it fit into the pattern of his life.
As with Voyaging, this book also casts valuable light on other important aspects of Victorian life. This book contains extremely useful information on the function of the Victorian postal system, the organization of Victorian science, Victorian publishing, and family life.
Browne is that rare combination of superb scholar with an outstanding and unobtrusive writing style. A terrific book.
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