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The Lost World of James Smithson - Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian

by Heather Ewing
RM39.85 MYR RM28.88 MYR 28% off
The Lost World of James Smithson - Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian - Thryft
The Lost World of James Smithson - Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian - Thryft

Unveiling James Smithson, Smithsonian Institution's enigma.

If you're intrigued by stories of enigmatic figures whose legacies have monumental impacts, "The Lost World of James Smithson" is for you. Heather Ewing skillfully captures the multifaceted life of a man whose name is known globally through the Smithsonian yet whose personal story is shrouded in mystery. The book provides a fascinating look at not only his personal history but also the creation of an institution that has become a bastion for knowledge and culture.

Sale

The Lost World of James Smithson - Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian

by Heather Ewing
RM39.85 MYR RM28.88 MYR 28% off
ISBN: 9781596910294
Authors: Heather Ewing
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Date of Publication: 2007-04-03
Format: Hardcover
Related Collections: History, Biographies & Memoirs, Science
Related Topics: Memoir, Biography, American History, Politics, War, Microhistory
Goodreads rating: 3.46
(rated by 120 readers)

Description

In 1836 the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift―a half-million dollar bequest to establish a foundation in Washington "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." The Smithsonian Institution, as it would be called, eventually grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet the man behind what became "America's attic," James Smithson, has remained a shadowy figure for more than 150 years. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from across Europe and the United States, historian Heather Ewing tells his compelling story in full. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, Smithson was the youngest member of Britain's Royal Society and a talented chemist admired by the greatest scientists of his age. At the same time, however, he was also a suspected spy, an inveterate gambler, and a radical revolutionary during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. But at the heart of Smithson's story is his bequest―worth $9 million in today's currency―which sparked an international lawsuit and a decade-long congressional battle, featuring a dizzying cast of historical figures, including John Quincy Adams, and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom grappled with how―and even whether―to put Smithson's endowment to use. Fascinating and magisterial, Ewing's biography presents a
Condition guide

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*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

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*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

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*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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Unveiling James Smithson, Smithsonian Institution's enigma.

If you're intrigued by stories of enigmatic figures whose legacies have monumental impacts, "The Lost World of James Smithson" is for you. Heather Ewing skillfully captures the multifaceted life of a man whose name is known globally through the Smithsonian yet whose personal story is shrouded in mystery. The book provides a fascinating look at not only his personal history but also the creation of an institution that has become a bastion for knowledge and culture.