The Invention of Air, by Steven Johnson

I enjoyed this story about Joseph Priestly — scientist & minister & close friend of Franklin and Jefferson — well enough, but I think I wasn’t really in the right mood for a history of science book, so it took me quite a while to get through, even though it’s very short at about 200 pages.

It’s an extremely well-written and well-research book — Priestly was very involved in the discovery of oxygen, the founding of the Unitarian Church, the conversation between Jefferson and Adams, and the start of ecosystem science — the guy did a lot of important stuff and was involved in a lot of important conversations.

So if history of science crossed with the American Revolution is your cup of tea, this is a must read. For myself, it was good but not great.

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