A World on Fire, 9780143038832
Paperback
This gripping account of a key tipping point in the history of science is set against the upheavals of a revolutionary age. 8-page photo insert.

A World on Fire

a heretic, an aristocrat, and the race to discover oxygen

$39.51

  • Paperback

    448 pages

  • Release Date

    26 February 2007

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Summary

Like Charles Seife’s Zero and Dava Sobel’s Longitude, this passionate intellectual history is the story of the intersection of science and the human, in this case the rivals who discovered oxygen in the late 1700s. That breakthrough changed the world as radically as those of Newton and Darwin but was at first eclipsed by revolution and reaction. In chronicling the triumph and ruin of the English freethinker Joseph Priestley and the French nobleman Antoine Lavoisier—the former exiled, the latt…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780143038832
ISBN-10:0143038834
Author:Joe Jackson
Publisher:Penguin Putnam Inc
Imprint:Penguin USA
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:448
Release Date:26 February 2007
Weight:420g
Dimensions:214mm x 140mm x 25mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

This tale of eminent scientists victimized by political ideology is told with passion and a splendid attention to vivid detail. (Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times )

An exhilarating narrative, sweeping us through great discoveries and international rivalries, yet strengthened by meticulous research and analysis. (Jenny Uglow, author of The Lunar Men)This tale of eminent scientists victimized by political ideology is told with passion and a splendid attention to vivid detail. (Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times)

About The Author

Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson is the author of four works of nonfiction and a novel. He was an investigative reporter for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot for 12 years, covering criminal justice and the state’s death row. He lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He can be reached through his website, joejacksonbooks.com.

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