Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers
How a Nineteenth-Century Man of Business, Science, and the Sea Changed American Life
By Tamara Plakins Thornton | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
About the book
In this engagingly written biography, Tamara Plakins Thornton delves into the life and work of Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), a man Thomas Jefferson once called a “meteor in the hemisphere.” Bowditch was a mathematician, astronomer, navigator, seafarer, and business executive whose Enlightenment-inspired perspectives shaped nineteenth-century capitalism while transforming American life more broadly. Enthralled with the precision and certainty of numbers and the unerring regularity of the physical universe, Bowditch operated and represented some of New England’s most powerful institutions—from financial corporations to Harvard College—as clockwork mechanisms. By examining Bowditch’s pathbreaking approaches to institutions, as well as the political and social controversies they provoked, Thornton’s biography sheds new light on the rise of capitalism, American science, and social elites in the early republic.
Fleshing out the multiple careers of Nathaniel Bowditch, this book is at once a lively biography, a window into the birth of bureaucracy, and a portrait of patrician life, giving us a broader, more-nuanced understanding of how powerful capitalists operated during this era and how the emerging quantitative sciences shaped the modern experience.
Editions of Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469626932
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469663937
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890849625
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469628110
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890849632
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469626949
Read an Excerpt
In this engagingly written biography, Tamara Plakins Thornton delves into the life and work of Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), a man Thomas Jefferson once called a “meteor in the hemisphere.” Bowditch was a mathematician, astronomer, navigator, seafarer, and business executive whose Enlightenment-inspired perspectives shaped nineteenth-century capitalism while transforming American life more broadly. Enthralled with the precision and certainty of numbers and the unerring regularity of the physical universe, Bowditch operated and represented some of New England’s most powerful institutions—from financial corporations to Harvard College—as clockwork mechanisms. By examining Bowditch’s pathbreaking approaches to institutions, as well as the political and social controversies they provoked, Thornton’s biography sheds new light on the rise of capitalism, American science, and social elites in the early republic.
Fleshing out the multiple careers of Nathaniel Bowditch, this book is at once a lively biography, a window into the birth of bureaucracy, and a portrait of patrician life, giving us a broader, more-nuanced understanding of how powerful capitalists operated during this era and how the emerging quantitative sciences shaped the modern experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers about?
In this engagingly written biography, Tamara Plakins Thornton delves into the life and work of Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), a man Thomas Jefferson once called a “meteor in the hemisphere.” Bowditch was a mathematician, astronomer, navigator, seafarer, and business executive whose Enlightenment-inspired perspectives shaped nineteenth-century capitalism while transforming American life more broadly. Enthralled with the precision and certainty of numbers and the unerring regularity of the physical universe, Bowditch operated and represented some of New England’s most powerful institutions—from financial corporations to Harvard College—as clockwork mechanisms. By examining Bowditch’s pathbreaking approaches to institutions, as well as the political and social controversies they provoked, Thornton’s biography sheds new light on the rise of capitalism, American science, and social elites in the early republic.
Fleshing out the multiple careers of Nathaniel Bowditch, this book is at once a lively biography, a window into the birth of bureaucracy, and a portrait of patrician life, giving us a broader, more-nuanced understanding of how powerful capitalists operated during this era and how the emerging quantitative sciences shaped the modern experience.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Biography: general > Biography: business and industry
Where can I read a sample of Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469626932
How long is Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers and how many pages does it have?
Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers has 416 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers?
Tamara Plakins Thornton
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469626932) and paperback(ISBN 9781469663937) and ebook(ISBN 9798890849625) and ebook(ISBN 9781469628110) and ebook(ISBN 9798890849632) and ebook(ISBN 9781469626949)
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