Erasmus Darwin

• A pursuit of the life and ideas of Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles, and prominent scientist, radical, and Enlightenment man of letters
• The man who published controversial ideas on Evolution years before the birth of his famous grandson
• An exciting detective story in which award-winning author Patricia Fara follows the elusive Dr Darwin through the archives
• A quest that offers a fresh view not only of Erasmus Darwin and the Enlightenment, but also of Charles Darwin and the Victorian era

Readership: All those interested in the history of the Enlightenment, the eighteenth century, and the history of science, especially the development of the theory of evolution.

Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor of Clare College, Cambridge

Patricia Fara lectures in the history of science at Cambridge University, where she is the Senior Tutor of Clare College. A specialist in Enlightenment England, her main passion is explaining to non-academic audiences why the history of science is so fascinating and so important. Her most recent book, Science: A Four Thousand Year History (2009), won the Dingle prize awarded by the British Society for the History of Science. Her other successful publications include Newton: The Making of Genius (2002), Sex, Botany and Empire (2003) and Pandora's Breeches: Women, Science and Power in the Enlightenment (2004). An experienced public lecturer, she appears regularly in TV documentaries and radio programmes such as In our Time and Start the Week. She also contributes articles and reviews to many journals, including History Today, BBC History, New Scientist, Prospect, Nature, and the Times Literary Supplement.

"Fara is no dry academic and her pleasing book is, in part, an entertaining account of her research journey in the Rare Books Department of Cambridge University Library and elsewhere. Some of her discoveries are engagingly serendipitous - an important, but sometimes understated feature of serious research." - Susan Elkin, Independent on Sunday

"An ingenious and engaging romp through the unexpected byways of scientific and social history." - The Lancet

"Fara's account is a welcome addition to the existing works on Darwin and offers a new way of understanding him as an important figure of the Enlightenment." - History West Midlands

INTRODUCTION: SERENDIPITY
THE LOVES OF THE TRIANGLES
POETRY, GEOMETRY, AND SATIRE
I.1: Erasmus Darwin
I.2: The Loves of the Triangles
I.3: A Triangle of Poets
THE LOVES OF THE PLANTS
BOTANY, WOMEN, AND MORALITY
II.1: The Loves of the Plants
II.2: Women on Trial
II.3: Seraglios
THE ECONOMY OF VEGETATION
KNOWLEDGE, POWER, AND SOCIETY
III.1: The Lunar Society
III.2: The Economy of Vegetation
III.3: The Triangular Slave Trade
THE TEMPLE OF NATURE
PROGRESS, RACE, AND EVOLUTION
IV.1: Defining People
IV.2: The Temple of Nature
IV.3: Origins
CONCLUSION: REPUTATIONS & REFLECTIONS
Appendix: 'The Loves of the Triangles'
Bibliography
Index