Public-domain ebook
by Sir P. Chalmers (Peter Chalmers) Mitchell
Language: en1,192 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Biographies·Science - Biology
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #16935.
This work is a concise, fact‑based sketch of Thomas Henry Huxley’s life and achievements rather than a full‑blown biography. The author, Sir P. Chalmers Mitchell, explains that the volume draws on Huxley’s own autobiography, a Royal Society obituary by Sir Michael Foster, a portrait by Professor Howes, and the extensive body of Huxley’s published scientific papers and essays. The opening pages outline the scope of the book, listing the chapters that will trace Huxley from his school days through his naval service, his voyages on the Rattlesnake, his contributions to zoology, paleontology, and evolutionary debate, and his later roles as educator, public speaker, and philosophical commentator. It also provides a detailed bibliography of Huxley’s major works, indicating where the reader can find his scientific memoirs and collected essays.
Written in a measured, scholarly tone typical of early‑20th‑century scientific literature, the text combines straightforward exposition with occasional personal reflections from Huxley’s own writings. Its style is formal but accessible, favoring clear description over rhetorical flourish. Readers with an interest in the history of biology, Victorian science, or the intellectual context of Darwinian evolution will find this outline a useful reference, while those who enjoy biographical narratives that interweave personal anecdotes with detailed accounts of scientific contributions will appreciate its balanced approach.
This volume is in no sense an intimate or authorised biography of Huxley. It is simply an outline of the external features of his life and an account of his contributions to biology, to educational and social problems, and to philosophy and metaphysics. In preparing it, I have been indebted to his own Autobiography, to the obituary notice written by Sir Michael Foster for the Royal Society of London, to a sketch of him by Professor Howes, his successor at the Royal College of Science, and to his published works. The latter consist of many well-known separate volumes which are familiar to all zoölogists, and of a vast number of memoirs and essays scattered in various scientific and general publications. The general Essays were collected into nine volumes, revised by himself in the later years of his life, and published by Messrs. Macmillan. …
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