This Long Pursuit

This Long Pursuit chronicles Richard Holmes's four-decade journey as a biographer, revealing the methods and discoveries that shaped his work. The book combines memoir with reflection on the art of biography, drawing from Holmes's experiences researching historical figures. Through a series of focused chapters, Holmes examines the relationships between biographers and their subjects, the challenges of uncovering historical truth, and the particular difficulties of writing about women in history. He explores these themes through his own experiences researching figures like Mary Wollstonecraft, Percy Shelley, and Samuel Johnson. The book presents specific techniques for biographical research, including archival investigation, location visits, and the interpretation of historical documents. Holmes demonstrates these approaches through detailed examples from his own practice, showing the evolution of biographical writing. At its core, This Long Pursuit is an examination of how biographers bridge the gap between past and present, and how the practice of biography itself has evolved through generations of writers and scholars.

Readers view This Long Pursuit as a thoughtful exploration of biographical writing, with most appreciating Holmes' deep knowledge and engaging narrative style. Many note his ability to bring historical figures to life through small details and connections. Readers liked: - Personal anecdotes about Holmes' research process - Focus on lesser-known aspects of famous subjects - Clear explanations of biographical methods - Coverage of women's roles in scientific history Readers disliked: - Dense academic writing style in some sections - Occasional meandering narratives - Assumption of prior knowledge about subjects - Limited coverage of certain biographical subjects "The mix of memoir and biography creates an intimate look at the craft," noted one Amazon reviewer. Another mentioned that "Holmes sometimes gets lost in the minutiae." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (127 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (41 ratings) LibraryThing: 4.0/5 (15 ratings)

The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes The intertwined stories of scientific discovery in the Romantic age reveal the personal lives and relationships between researchers who transformed natural philosophy into modern science.

The Ghost Map by Steven Berlin Johnson The narrative tracks London's 1854 cholera epidemic through the work of a doctor and a local curate who developed modern epidemiology while discovering the disease's transmission through water.

The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf The life story of Alexander von Humboldt connects his scientific explorations to his influence on figures like Darwin, Thoreau, and Muir while showing how his ideas shaped modern environmentalism.

The Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick The parallel stories of Newton, Leibniz, and their contemporaries demonstrate how mathematics and scientific method emerged from a world of alchemy and religious belief.

Longitude by Dava Sobel The quest to solve maritime navigation's greatest challenge follows clockmaker John Harrison's decades-long effort to win Parliament's prize for determining longitude at sea.

🔍 Holmes invented the term "footstepping" to describe his unique biographical method of physically following his subjects' journeys and experiences. 📚 The book's title alludes to the 40+ years Holmes spent researching and writing about Romantic-era figures like Shelley, Coleridge, and Mary Wollstonecraft. ⚗️ One major focus of the book is the previously overlooked achievements of women scientists in the 18th and 19th centuries, including Caroline Herschel and Margaret Cavendish. ✍️ Holmes revolutionized biographical writing in the 1980s with his book "Footsteps," introducing a more personal, experiential approach to the genre. 🎭 The author explores how biography is a delicate balance between imagination and evidence, comparing it to a form of "controlled fiction" that must remain truthful to historical facts.