Mary Sommerville and the World of Science – Allan Chapman
Mary Sommerville (1780-1872), after whom Sommerville College Oxford was named, was the first woman scientist to win an international reputation entirely in her own right, rather than through association with a scientific brother or father.
She was active in astronomy, one of the most demanding areas of science of the day, and flourished in the unique British tradition of Grand Amateurs, who paid their own way and were not affiliated with any academic institution.
Mary Sommerville was to science what Jane Austen was to literature. Allan Chapman’s vivid account brings to light the story of an exceptional woman, whose achievements in a field dominated by men deserve to be very widely known.
0 95 49846 2 5 paperback
176 pages £14.95
Allan Chapman
Dr Allan Chapman, MA, DPhil, FRAS, is an historian of science at Oxford University, specialising in biographies of nineteenth-century astronomers. He has written several books, presented a TV series, and is a highly sought after lecturer with an international reputation.
Dr Allan Chapman and Sir Patrick filming and episode of the Sky at Night.
Reviews
What Chapman has produced is eminently readable and an excellent introduction to Mary Sommerville.. I hope that this relatively inexpensive book will make more people aware of her. British Astronomical Association
A vivid and engaging insight into the life and legacy of Mary Sommerville. New Scientist