“This book is for every chemist. Seeing how greats such as Liebig, Hofmann, and Ladenburg used experimentation and simple glassware to establish understanding at the molecular level should inspire new approaches to contemporary challenges.”
Sam Gellman, Vilas Research Professor and Ralph F. Hirschmann Professor of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Jackson's work is a tour de force. Using new sources, innovative methods, and original arguments to reinterpret the rise of molecular chemistry, she forces us to rethink the meaning of standards, laboratories, and chemical theory.”
Myles W. Jackson, Albers-Schönberg Professor in the History of Science, School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
“It will change the discussion of 19th century chemistry forever.”
Bulletin of the History of Chemistry
“…many historians have stressed the role of theory in organic chemistry. But Catherine Jackson emphasizes experimental reasoning.”
Nature
"Jackson has written a history that takes into account not only instruments and experimental methods but also detailed theoretical chemical knowledge and even personal and institutional context. Many authors highlight the importance of practice in chemistry, but only a few can provide such a detailed look into laboratory reasoning that the readers can truly realize this importance for themselves."
H-Net Book Reviews
“Her superb, content-rich monograph offers an intriguing account of the development of a new chemical branch that epitomized chemistry's productive capability.”
ISIS
"Molecular World's accessibility is a testament to Jackson's adept management of adiverse academic audience… By exploring how nineteenth-century chemistsapproached their chemistry, Jackson demonstrates the benefits of going back to the(historical) bench and challenging our everyday scientific definitions, and the surprisingconsequences of doing so."
British Journal for the History of Science
“this book … should be read by professional historians and chemists alike.”
Metascience
“This is an attractive book which is both well structured and clearly written… It is thus a pleasure to read as well as shedding important new light on the development of organic chemistry.”
Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Division Newsletter
"I can heartily recommend this book as a worthwhile read”
Ambix
“Jackson is at her best negotiating us through the intricate (and sometimes dodgy) business dealings of Hofmann's chemical enterprise in London”
Endeavour
"Careful, precise, and well documented in extensive notes and a rich bibliography, this book will be valuable for decades to come."
Choice
