{"title":"Books by Hugh Aldersey-Williams","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781509893355","title":"Dutch Light","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Enchanting to the point of escapism.' \u003c\/b\u003e– \u003cb\u003eSimon Ings, \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Hugh Aldersey-Williams rescues his subject from Newton's shadow, where he was been unjustly confined for over three hundred years.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e' \u003c\/b\u003e– \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with incident, discovery, and revelation, \u003ci\u003eDutch Light\u003c\/i\u003e is a vivid account of Christiaan Huygens’s remarkable life and career, but it is also nothing less than the story of the birth of modern science as we know it.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEurope’s greatest scientist during the latter half of the seventeenth century, Christiaan Huygens was a true polymath.  A towering figure in the fields of astronomy, optics, mechanics, and mathematics, many of his innovations in methodology, optics and timekeeping remain in use to this day. Among his many achievements, he developed the theory of light travelling as a wave, invented the mechanism for the pendulum clock, and discovered the rings of Saturn – via a telescope that he had also invented.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA man of fashion and culture, Christiaan came from a family of multi-talented individuals whose circle included not only leading figures of Dutch society, but also artists and philosophers such as Rembrandt, Locke and Descartes. The Huygens family and their contemporaries would become key actors in the Dutch Golden Age, a time of unprecedented intellectual expansion within the Netherlands. Set against a backdrop of worldwide religious and political turmoil, this febrile period was defined by danger, luxury and leisure, but also curiosity, purpose, and tremendous possibility.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing in Huygens’s footsteps as he navigates this era while shuttling opportunistically between countries and scientific disciplines, Hugh Aldersey-Williams builds a compelling case to reclaim Huygens from the margins of history and acknowledge him as one of our most important and influential scientific figures.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204553474226,"sku":"9781509893355","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781509893355.jpg?v=1786021829"},{"product_id":"9780141041452","title":"Periodic Tales","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE PHENOMENAL \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e'Science writing at its best. If only chemistry had been like this at school' Matt Ridley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEverything in the universe is made of them, including you. Like you, the elements have personalities, attitudes, talents, shortcomings, stories rich with meaning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Here you'll meet iron that rains from the heavens and noble gases that light the way to vice. You'll learn how lead can tell your future while zinc may one day line your coffin. You'll discover what connects the bones in your body with the Whitehouse in Washington, the glow of a streetlamp with the salt on your dinner table.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colourful pasts, \u003ci\u003ePeriodic Tales \u003c\/i\u003eis a voyage of wonder and discovery, showing that their stories are inextricable from the stories of our own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A love letter to the chemical elements. Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well' \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'The history, science, art, literature and everyday applications of all the elements from aluminium to zinc' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e'Great fun to read and an endless fund of unlikely and improbable anecdotes' \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43400048509106,"sku":"9780141041452","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141041452.jpg?v=1786010967"},{"product_id":"9780241967980","title":"Tide","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003e'Must Read' book\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDescribed by the\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eas \"a gently studious Bill Bryson crossed with an upbeat and relaxed WG Sebald\", \u003ci\u003eTide \u003c\/i\u003eis \"\u003cb\u003ea superb book... a delight to read. It is profound and powerful, and should win prizes.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Cnut to D-Day, the history and science of the unceasing tide is explored for the first time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHalf of the world's population lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. Yet how little most of us know about the tide - a key force on our planet that has altered the course of history and will transform our future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur ability to predict and understand the tide depends on centuries of science, from the observations of Aristotle and the theories of Newton to today's supercomputer calculations. This story is punctuated here by notable tidal episodes in history, from Caesar's thwarted invasion of Britain to the catastrophic flooding of Venice, and interwoven with a rich folklore that continues to inspire art and literature today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith Aldersey-Williams as our guide to the most feared and celebrated tidal features on the planet, from the original maelstrøm in Scandinavia to the world's highest tides in Nova Scotia to the crumbling coast of East Anglia, the importance of the tide, and the way it has shaped - and will continue to shape - our civilization, becomes startlingly clear.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56232094826869,"sku":"9780241967980","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241967980_3e20593e-a2fa-429a-874f-a3ed985aec8b.jpg?v=1786033348"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-hugh-aldersey-williams.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}