Louis Agassiz ─ Creator of American Science

One hundred and fifty years ago, a Swiss immigrant took America by storm, launching modern American science. The charismatic Louis Agassiz, who first made a name for himself by discovering how glaciers form, was a zoologist by the time he came to deliver a series of lectures in Boston. He never left, becoming the most famous scientist of his time. A pioneer in field research and an obsessive collector, Agassiz enlisted the American public in a vast campaign to send him natural specimens, dead or alive, for his ingeniously conceived museum of comparative zoology. An educator of enduring impact, he trained a generation of American scientists and science teachers, men and women alike.

Christoph Irmscher uncovers the dark side, too, of this founding father of modern American science, revealing him as Darwin's arch-enemy regarding the theory of evolution, and as a racist who put his own stamp on post–Civil War racial policies.

A provocative, fascinating life story—both inspiring and cautionary—for anyone interested in the history of American ideas. More