Garfield first whisks us to the London neighborhood of Shadwell, where Perkin was born (and where virtually nothing remains from his day), and then farther into the past. The scientists who gathered to honor him all wore bow ties dyed mauve for the occasion. He begins in 1906 with Perkin, now 68, attending celebrations in the US for the jubilee of his 1856 discovery of mauve, the serendipitous consequence of his unsuccessful attempt to synthesize quinine. Garfield ( The End of Innocence, not reviewed) has fashioned a stylish compound of biography, cultural and scientific history, and literary detection. The life, times, and enduring influence of pioneering chemist Sir William Perkin, who at 18 discovered a substance that yielded a most lovely color.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |