A World on Fire: A Heretic, an Aristocrat, and the Race to Discover Oxygen by Joe Jackson

A World on Fire: A Heretic, an Aristocrat, and the Race to Discover Oxygen Reviews

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  Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship

  This is an excellent work of popular history, focusing on two rival chemists who broke ground in the 18th century through their study of gases, particularly in the discovery of oxygen. One was English: Joseph Priestley, a Dissenting minister who, aside from his rather haphazard but productive chemical studies, helped found the Unitarian church, and was widely considered a dangerous radical. The other was French: Antoine Lavoisier, who worked as a tax collector but also became a leader in France’s much more organized and centralized scientific establishment.
  
  From the very small number of reviews I had low expectations for this book, and was pleasantly surprised to find it both fascinating and accessible. Jackson clearly did a lot of research, and includes background information on all sorts of relevant issues—some slightly tangential, yes, but all of it relevant to the story he’s telling, and I wouldn’t be reading history if I didn’t find historical tangents interesting! I particularly appreciated his delving into the social conditions at the time, which does a lot to explain both men’s enemies. There’s the conservative mob in Birmingham that burned Priestley’s house, along with many others, and drove him from town: workers in the local factories lived and worked in terrible conditions, so no wonder they romanticized the old aristocratic order rather than the new industrial capitalist one with which Priestley allied himself. And there’s the French Revolution, which ultimately executed Lavoisier—while Jackson is a bit more sympathetic, I came away thinking he deserved it: despite already being independently wealthy, he put a huge amount of money into joining the “General Farm,” a private corporation to which the French government delegated taxation. It was understood that the Farm’s members would enrich themselves enormously in the process, and they seem to have operated with complete impunity (Jackson gives the example of a man who was imprisoned over a year and his health ruined, in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity). But Jackson’s portrayal of both men is complex and interesting and provides enough information for readers to form their own opinions.
  
  I did wonder where some of the more novelistic descriptions came from—there are extensive endnotes on sources, which seem solid, but there’s also a lot of intimate detail that’s left unsourced, which certainly makes the book readable and engaging but also had me raising my eyebrows a bit. Jackson also seems a bit careless with counting (for instance, telling us someone was 5 when something happened, while giving dates for their birth and the event that are only 3 years apart), which makes me wonder about his other details.
  
  Nevertheless, on the whole I found this quite informative, thorough and engaging, full of thoughtful analysis and interesting tidbits. Despite my having read a fair amount on the subject, there was still plenty in here that was new to me. Definitely better than
  the other book I’ve read about Priestley, and the only book I’ve found for a general audience that devotes significant time to Lavoisier. A solid choice for anyone interested in the history of science.
• 
  Upom

  Jackson's "A World on Fire" was an interesting but tedious read. The books is a both biography of two of the Enlightenment's most famous scientists, Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, as well as a history of the volatile time between 1750 and 1800 that saw the end of the Enlightenment. Jackson did a through job of researching these men's lives, explaining everything from their scientific accomplishments to their health problems. The book was filled with many interesting historical anecdotes, including the invention of gin, the invention of the guillotine, and the origins of the term "mesmerize." Jackson also showed his talents as a writer through meditative passages near the end of chapters (especially in the epilogue) that reflected on themes that were characteristic of the lives of these men, including revolution, religion, the cost of knowledge, and martyrdom.
  
  "World on Fire"'s biggest flaw was its length. Jackson could have easily removed 100 pages without harming the quality of the book. Though the historical anecdotes were interesting, taking some of the less relevant anecdotes out of the book would have improved it. However, if you have an interest in history, and have some patience, it may not be a terrible read.
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  Anthony Sebastian

  
  
  Joe Jackson
  
  Interlocked full biographies of 18th century founders/pioneers of modern chemistry, Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) and Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794), the discovery of oxygen and its role in the chemistry of life and technology, the worlds of England and France during and after the Enlightenment, American and French Revolutions, the science, politics, theology, and dramatis personae that embedded the two protagonists.
  
  Joe Jackson writes with style and grace an intimately detailed, broadly scaled, and thoughtfully interpreted tale of humanity's soul of the age. Beware: Reading this book thoughtfully may cause you to read a dozen or more books about Priestley and Lavoisier, and others about some of the fascinating people in their lives, not to mention numerous other topics this book may suck you into. A portal book, or a book portal to books.
• 
  Michael Kearney

  Good insight on the relationship between science and the french Revolution.
• 
  Drew

  "A World on Fire" tells the dual stories of 18th century scientists Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier. The author, Joe Jackson, has his work cut out for him as the book straddles three genres: biography, history, and science. I think it is clear that the intended audience of the book is non-scientists, but any scientist interested in the personalities behind the discovery of oxygen will likely be very pleased as well.
  
  By and large, the appropriately named "A World on Fire" tells the intertwined stories of Priestley and Lavoisier in a very entertaining fashion. Although in my opinion the author waxes a little too poetically on scientific discovery in the early pages, the tone changes to a more objective yet still personal look at the worlds that Priestley and Lavoisier lived in. I was well acquainted with the turmoil of Revolutionary France, but until reading this book I was not aware of the scale of the reactions it provoked in Great Britain. Priestley's life was certainly not one that I would call charmed.
  
  Overall the book is very entertaining and effectively communicates the obstacles that Priestley and Lavoisier each faced in the discovery of oxygen. Not only does the book provide of history of that discovery, the reader will also walk away with knowledge of the history of modern chemistry. I wish the scientific experiments in some parts were described in a little more detail, but I understand the author's choice in keeping those descriptions relatively brief. I would think any non-scientist with an interest in the history of science will be pleased with the book, and any scientist with an interest in biography or the history of chemistry will also be happy.
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  QOH

  Good introductory survey of the paradigm shift from phlogiston to oxygen and the rivalry between Priestly and Lavoisier. I could have done without the "one might imagine that he thought/felt/expected" speculations -- there were enough of those that I realized later I could have turned it into a drinking game.
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  David R.

  A pretty good treatment of the lives of the scientists who discovered oxygen in the late 1700s. It's an especially interest comparison because Priestly and Lavoisier were opposites in so many ways, because both were initially reviled in their home countries, and because both were broken in their elder years.
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  Jenje

  The author did an impressive job of showing the good and bad sides of each man's life. It was a bit slow at times, but I found the later half to be quite intriguing. The French Revolution, and its repercussions in Europe, are so complex. Seeing it from the perspective of those in science who also mixed with politics, religion, and philosophy was really interesting.
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  Sylvia

  Highly interesting, short on science and long on history. Very nice comparison of the histories and times of the two scientists. Some of the "literary" decorations introduced by the author (e.g., adjectives, anectodes, asides) were of questionable accuracy, and were distracting.
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  Philip Girvan

  Author Joe Jackson is an investigative crime reporter and those skills and instincts are on display throughout this excellent history of the work, characters, and historical forces at play as oxygen is discovered and chemistry emerges from the shadows of alchemy.
  
  
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  Jenny

  This started slow, but it has definitely picked up. I'm really enjoying it. A very interesting look at history and the discovery of oxygen. Quite well-written.
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  Polly

  Upon reaching the chapter about the history of gunpowder, my brain imploded. I could not bring myself to finish this book.
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  Jabberz

  I tried to read this because I liked the Leavenworth Train book he wrote - but I couldn't do it. The history of Oxygen - it just didn't hold my interest.