"Dolnick's book is lively and the characters are vivid." -- New York Times Book Review "A character-rich, historical narrative." -- Wall Street Journal "Edward Dolnick's smoothly written history of the scientific revolution tells the stories of the key players and events that transformed society." -- Charlotte Observer "An engrossing read." -- Library Journal "Dolnick . writes clearly and unpretentiously about science, and writes equally well about the tumultuous historical context . [He] also offers penetrating portraits of the geniuses of the day, many of them idiosyncratic in the extreme, who offer fertile ground for entertaining writing. [Dolnick] has an eye for vivid details in aid of historical recreation, and an affection for his subjects .

[An] informative read." -- Publishers Weekly "A lively account of early science. Colorful, entertainingly written and nicely paced." -- Kirkus Reviews "Dolnick furnishes a fine survey introduction to a fertile field of scientific biography and history." -- Booklist "[Dolnick] offers penetrating portraits of the geniuses of the day . who offer fertile ground for entertaining writing. [He] has an eye for vivid details in aid of historical recreation, and an affection for his subjects . [An] informative read.

" -- Publishers Weekly.