The Huxleys
An Intimate History of Evolution

In some ways a rag tag of various focuses and ideas, but I think that’s the book’s strength. It’s an extremely engaging set of essays on Julian Huxley (I feel that Bashford was initially drawn to Julian’s life, as T.H.’s appearances have less depth and intrigue). These mix a form of ‘intimate’ famil......more

A lost world when poets were statesmen and scientists were wordsmiths. What happened in the minds of men, how words and images could reshape those minds for good and ill, was as much the business of liberal progressives as it was of communist re-education camps. ### Julian even pressed the need to bui......more

Bashford masterfully illustrates the tumultuous history of Victorian and modern science through the lenses of two individuals whose reach seems to be all-encompassing, a fingerprint left on every topic (and certainly on many topics which have touched me personally growing up and as an adult). The the......more

This is a non-linear discussion of the Huxley family encompassing roughly 1825-1975. I initially thought, ala Huxley, "what on earth was the logic of this book's structure?". Alas, it is presented topically which may be the best way of discussing such a wide range of time/issues involving multiple c......more

For the last quarter of a century, it seems like every topic I’ve looked into has had a Huxley lurking around somewhere. I picked up The Huxleys to try to understand how all their different interests fir together and it didn’t disappoint. It painted a vivid portrait of TH Huxley (comparative anatomi......more