An edition of Invention of air (2009)

Invention of air

a story of science, faith, revolution, and the birth of America

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  • 4.33 ·
  • 3 Ratings
  • 8 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 3 Have read

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Last edited by MARC Bot
November 29, 2023 | History
An edition of Invention of air (2009)

Invention of air

a story of science, faith, revolution, and the birth of America

  • 4.33 ·
  • 3 Ratings
  • 8 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 3 Have read

Recounts the story of Joseph Priestley--scientist and theologian, protege of Benjamin Franklin--an 18th-century radical thinker who played pivotal roles in the invention of ecosystem science, the founding of the Unitarian Church, and the intellectual development of the U.S.

Publish Date
Publisher
Riverhead Books
Language
English
Pages
254

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The Invention of Air
The Invention of Air
2009, Penguin USA, Inc.
Electronic resource in English
Cover of: Invention of air

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Book Details


Published in

New York

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Genre
Biography.

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
540.92, B
Library of Congress
QD22.P8 J635 2009, QD22.P8 J635 2008, QD22.P8J635 2009

The Physical Object

Pagination
p. cm.
Number of pages
254

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL22659254M
Internet Archive
inventionofair00john
ISBN 13
9781594488528
LCCN
2008046101
OCLC/WorldCat
223801504
Library Thing
5838424
Goodreads
3688884

Work Description

Bestselling author Steven Johnson recounts—in dazzling, multidisciplinary fashion—the story of the brilliant man who embodied the relationship between science, religion, and politics for America’s Founding Fathers. The Invention of Air is a book of world-changing ideas wrapped around a compelling narrative, a story of genius and violence and friendship in the midst of sweeping historical change that provokes us to recast our understanding of the Founding Fathers. It is the story of Joseph Priestley—scientist and theologian, protege of Benjamin Franklin, friend of Thomas Jefferson—an eighteenth-century radical thinker who played pivotal roles in the invention of ecosystem science, the discovery of oxygen, the founding of the Unitarian Church, and the intellectual development of the United States. And it is a story that only Steven Johnson, acclaimed juggler of disciplines and provocative ideas, can do justice to. In the 178 0s, Priestley had established himself in his native England as a brilliant scientist, a prominent minister, and an outspoken advocate of the American Revolution, who had sustained long correspondences with Franklin, Jefferson, and John Adams. Ultimately, his radicalism made his life politically uncomfortable, and he fled to the nascent United States. Here, he was able to build conceptual bridges linking the scientific, political, and religious impulses that governed his life. And through his close relationships with the Founding Fathers—Jefferson credited Priestley as the man who prevented him from abandoning Christianity—he exerted profound if little-known influence on the shape and course of our history. As in his last bestselling work, The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson here uses a dramatic historical story to explore themes that have long engaged him: innovation and the way new ideas emerge and spread, and the environments that foster these breakthroughs. And as he did in Everything Bad Is Good for You, Johnson upsets some fundamental assumptions about the world we live in—namely, what it means when we invoke the Founding Fathers—and replaces them with a clear-eyed, eloquent assessment of where we stand today.

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History

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November 29, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 17, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
July 22, 2019 Edited by MARC Bot remove fake subjects
October 4, 2017 Edited by MARC Bot adding to Long Now Manual for Civilization
December 10, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page