Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Somerville, Mary, 1780-1872

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville" by Martha Somerville is a biographical account written in the late 19th century. The book chronicles the remarkable life of Mary Somerville, a pioneering Scottish scientist and writer, as told through the eyes of her daughter, providing insights into her early education, struggles against societal norms, and eventual achievements in the field of science. The narrative not only details her personal journey but also highlights the broader societal and educational landscape of the time, particularly regarding women's roles. The opening of the memoir sets the stage by discussing Mary Somerville's upbringing in Scotland, her early passion for knowledge, and the obstacles she faced as a woman in pursuit of education and scientific inquiry during an era that largely discouraged such pursuits. Through her mother's reflections, readers learn about her childhood memories, family dynamics, and the supportive yet challenging environment that shaped her intellectual journey. The text also touches upon her initial encounters with science and the profound influence of loving relatives, particularly her uncle, who recognized and nurtured her exceptional talents against the backdrop of a prevailing conservative society. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Jane Hyland, Eric Hutton, David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 63.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2009-01-08