Joseph Priestley was one of the most remarkable thinkers of the eighteenth century. Best known today as the scientist who discovered oxygen, he also made major contributions in the fields of education, politics, philosophy, and theology. This collection of essays by a team of experts covers the full range of Priestley's work and provides a new and up to date account of all his activities, together with a summary of his life and an account of his last years in America. The book will re-establish him as a major intellectual figure in Britain and America in the second half of the eighteenth century.
This volume helps us to appreciate the protean Priestley in seven essays, each exploring one dimension of his life and career. --
Unitarian Universalist World This is an excellent resource not only for information on Priestley, but also for the state of current research on the subject. --
Religious Studies reviewIsabel Rivers is Professor of Eighteenth-Century English Literature and Culture, Queen Mary, University of London, and Co-Director, Dr Williams's Centre for Dissenting Studies. David L. Wykes is Director, Dr Williams's Library, London, and Co-Director, Dr Williams's Centre for Dissenting Studies.