Chemistry in the Schoolroom: 1806
selections from Mrs. Marcet's Conversations on Chemistry
by
Book Details
About the Book
ABOUT THE BOOK
1806: Chemistry lectures were all the rage in fashionable
To understand the book’s popularity, to enjoy Marcet’s fresh approach and elegant diagrams, and to learn much of the social life of the time, today’s reader need only dip into these lively selections, introduced by a former tutor of chemistry. Although some of the science may now seem quaint, Mrs. B.’s educational ideas, and Caroline’s undisciplined intelligence will strike a chord with many of today’s teachers and their former pupils.
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jane Marcet (née Haldimand), 1769-1858, was the oldest child in a well-to-do Anglo-Swiss London family which had wide scientific, literary and financial connections. She was educated mainly at home, both by visiting tutors in “boys’ ” subjects and by traditional governesses. When her mother died, fifteen-year-old Jane had to run the large household, be hostess at her father’s frequent intellectual soirées and supervise the education of her siblings. In 1799, she married the physician Alexander Marcet, who had a strong interest in chemistry, and later was a co-founder of the Royal Society of Medicine. She produced four children, (one of whom died aged 10), and about thirty educational books. She enjoyed riding, travel to her relations in
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Hazel Rossotti (née Marsh) was Fellow and Tutor in Chemistry at St. Anne’s College,
Now a Senior Research Fellow of St. Anne’s, she is exploring previous scientific books for pre-adult readers. She and her husband still live in