How the Victorians Took Us to the Moon: The Story of the Nineteenth-Century Innovators Who Forged the Future

(Hardback)

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To get us to the future, the Victorians created a new way of ordering and transforming nature, built on grand designs and the mass-mobilisation of the resources of Empire - and revolutionised science in the process.

In this rich and absorbing book, distinguished historian of science Iwan Rhys Morus tells the story of how this future was made. From Charles Babbage's dream of mechanising mathematics to Isambard Kingdom Brunel's tunnel beneath the Thames, from George Cayley's fantasies of powered flight to Nikola Tesla's visions of an electrical world, it is a story of towering personalities, clashing ambitions, furious rivalries and conflicting cultures - a rich tapestry of remarkable lives that transformed the world beyond recognition and ultimately took us to the Moon.

Reviews

Excellent ... A terrific insight into why the Victorian era was a golden age of engineering. -- Nick Smith * Engineering and Technology magazine *
It rattles thrillingly through such developments as the Transatlantic telegraph cable, the steam locomotive and electric power and recalls the excitable predictions of the fiction of the time. -- Katy Guest * The Guardian *
In his excellent new book How the Victorians Took Us to the Moon, the distinguished historian of science Iwan Rhys Morus argues that we are heirs to an ideology bequeathed by the Victorians, a broadly progressive vision that insists social improvement depends on constant technoscientific innovation ... [An] insightful analysis of 19th-century futurism ... Morus's account is as much a cautionary tale as a flag-waving celebration. -- Duncan Bell * New Statesman *
The detail of How the Victorians Took Us to the Moon is truly fascinating. Morus gives a deep insight into Victorian subcultures we never knew existed and the direction that the scientific winds were blowing across 70 years of history ... Compelling. * How It Works *
How the Victorians Took Us to the Moon takes us through the story of the emergence of science and technology as we know it today ... a fascinating read ... expertly woven together by Morus. * Nature Astronomy *
Wonderfully written ... a brilliant history of Victorian innovation. -- Melissa Brobby * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *
[Morus's] elegant and accessible writing style will appeal to a variety of audiences, including historians of science, scientists, and casual readers. His ability to synthesize recent scholarship to present a novel, coherent story is truly impressive. * Science *

Author Bio

IWAN RHYS MORUS is professor of history at Aberystwyth University. He has publishedwidely on the history of science, with titles including Michael Faraday and the ElectricalCentury (Icon, 2017), Nikola Tesla and the Electrical Future (Icon, 2019) and the OxfordIllustrated History of Science. He lives in Aberystwyth, Wales.