| Description |
xi, 434 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [357]-415) and index. |
| Contents |
Agassiz at Rest -- The Ice King -- Humboldt's Gift -- Darwin's Barnacles, Agassiz's Jellyfish -- Mr. Clark's Headache -- A Pint of Ink -- A Delicate Balance -- A Galapagos Picnic. |
| Summary |
One hundred and seventy-five years ago, a Swiss immigrant took America by storm, launching American science as we know it. The irrepressible Louis Agassiz, legendary at a young age for his work on mountain glaciers, focused his prodigious energies on the fauna of the New World. Invited to deliver a series of lectures in Boston, he never left, becoming the most famous scientist of his time. A pioneer in field research and an obsessive collector, Agassiz enlisted the American public in a vast campaign to send him natural specimens, dead or alive, for his ingeniously conceived museum of comparative zoology. As an educator of enduring impact, he trained a generation of American scientists and science teachers, men and women alike. But there's a dark side to the story. Irmscher adds unflinching evidence of Agassiz's racist impulses and shows how avidly Americans looked to men of science to mediate race policy. A fascinating life story, both inspiring and cautionary, for anyone interested in the history of American ideas. |
| Subject |
Agassiz, Louis, 1807-1873.
|
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Agassiz, Louis, 1807-1873 -- Influence.
|
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Naturalists -- United States -- Biography.
|
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Natural history -- United States -- History -- 19th century.
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| ISBN |
9780547577678 hardback $35.00 |
|
0547577672 hardback |
|
