“I wish this book was longer.” That’s a rare sentiment these days when so many books are too long and bloated. But Richard Holmes’ The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science contains stories to burn. The story begins with young Joseph Banks stepping onto a Tahitian beach in 1769 into a paradise of botany and a sexual Disney World. Banks returns to fame and fortune and becomes the President of the Royal Society for the next 41 years. Holmes shows how William Herschel and his sister Caroline revolutionized astronomy. Caroline finds fame as “The Comet Hunter” and is the first woman in Britain whose scientific discoveries the Royal Society acknowledges. The 19th Century’s race between Britain and France to develop hot-air balloon technology, Humphry Davy’s invention of miners’ lamps and anesthesia, and many other exciting scientific breakthroughs are captured in Holmes’ witty narrative. I just wanted it to go on and on! I can also highly recommend Holmes’ Footsteps: Adventures of a Romantic Biographer; Sidetracks: Explorations of a Romantic Biographer; Dr. Johnson & Mr. Savage; Shelley: The Pursuit; Coleridge: Early Visions; and Coleridge: Darker Reflections. Great storytelling and elegant prose, what more could you ask for?