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Description:

Mary Somerville (1780-1872), after whom Somerville 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 branches of science in her day. One factor which made her career and reputation possible was the social composition of the world at that time. For early 19th century science was dominated not by salaried professionals, but by "Grand Amateurs" who paid for their own research using private resources. Unhampered by the lack of a university education, Mary Somerville was to science what Jane Austen was to literature and Frances Trollope to travel writing.

Allan Chapman's vivid account brings to light the story of an extraordinary nineteenth century scientist whose achievements for science and for women deserve to be widely known.

The author:

Dr Allan Chapman MA, DPhil, FRAS is an historian of science at Oxford University. He is an active researcher in the history of astronomy, specifically biographies of 19th-century astronomers. He has written several books, and is an internationally renowned lecturer and television presenter.

Reviews:

"Chapman - an eminent historian of astronomy - quite rightly stresses her scientific significance.. Despite her prominence during her long life, Somerville has been doubly marginalized... Chapman insists that she be brought centre-stage and considered within the full context of nineteenth-century science and its impact on society." Nature

"A vivid and engaging insight into the life and legacy of Mary Somerville." New Scientist

"Allan Chapman's short volume summarises her background and achievements, and sets them in the wider context of how science was conducted in the 19th century... What he has now produced is eminently readable and an excellent introduction to Mary Somerville... I hope that this relatively inexpensive popular book will make more people aware of her. How nice it was to see that delightful portrait I so admired on the cover!" Journal of the British Astronomical Association

"A meticulously documented biography that seeks to put this early astrophysicist and author of science texts for the general reader in her historical context ... As well as the intrinsic interest of Somerville's story itself, Chapman also covers the wider story of the scientific developments in the Victorian period, making this a good introduction to this fascinating and fast-moving period." Astronomy & Geophysics

"This enjoyable book places Mary Somerville properly in a historical context, and conveys an entrancing picture of a woman and a scientist who combined formidable talent with a remarkably charming personality." Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage