Visions of Science

James Secord is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project, and a fellow of Christ's College. His research and teaching is on the history of science from the late eighteenth century to the present. He has published several books, including Controversy in Victorian Geology (Princeton, 1986) and editions of the works of Mary Somerville, Charles Lyell, and Robert Chambers. Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (Chicago, 2000), an account of the public debates about evolution in the mid-nineteenth century, won the Pfizer Prize of the History of Science Society and the award for the best book in history from the Association of American Publishers' Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division.

• Preface ; Introduction ; 1. Fantastic Voyages: Humphry Davys Consolations in Travel ; 2. The Economy of Intelligence: Charles Babbages Reflections on the Decline of Science ; 3. The Conduct of Everyday Life: John Herschels Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy ; 4. Mathematics for the Million?: Mary Somervilles On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences ; 5. A Philosophy for a New Science: Charles Lyells Principles of Geology ; 6. The Problem of Mind: George Combes Constitution of Man ; 7. The Torch of Science: Thomas Carlyles Sartor Resartus ; Epilogue ; Chronology ; Further Reading ; Abbreviations ; Notes ; Bibliography of Works after 1900 ; Index

It is a useful reminder that science does not always advance in straight lines.