Sentimental Savants

An illuminating study of the marriages and family lives of Diderot, Lavoisier, and other geniuses of the Age of Reason. We may imagine the lone scientific or philosophical genius generating insights in isolation—but in reality, the families of scientists and philosophers during the Enlightenment played a substantial role, not only making space for inquiry within the home but also assisting in observing, translating, calculating, and illustrating. Sentimental Savants is the first book to explore