Bloomsbury scientists: science and art in the wake of Darwin (1st)

Bloomsbury Scientists is the story of the networkof scientists and artists living in a square mile of London before and after WorldWar I. This inspired group of men and women viewed creativity and freedom asthe driving force behind nature, and each strove to understand this in theirown inventive way. Their collective energy changed the social mood of the eraand brought a new synthesis of knowledge to ideas in science and art. Class barrierswere threatened as power shifted from the landed oligarchy to those with talentand the will to make a difference.

A time of unexpected opportunities,from the new disciplines of Genetics and Ecology to Post-Impressionism and beyond,Michael Boulter seamlessly weaves together the stories originating fromBloomsbury's laboratories, libraries and studios. He narrates the breakthroughsof scientists such as Ray Lankester and Marie Stopes alongside the creative outputsof H. G. Wells and Virginia Woolf, among many others, and intricately connectsthem all through personal friendships, grievances, quarrels and affections. Bloomsbury Scientists offers a fresh andcrucial perspective on this history at a time when the complex relationshipbetween science and art continues to be debated.