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Banquet at Delmonico's: Great Minds, the Gilded Age, and the Triumph of Evolution in America
by
Barry Werth
In Banquet at Delmonico’s, Barry Werth, the acclaimed author of The Scarlet Professor, draws readers inside the circle of philosophers, scientists, politicians, businessmen, clergymen, and scholars who brought Charles Darwin’s controversial ideas to America in the crucial years after the Civil War.
The United States in the 1870s and ’80s was deep in turmoil–a brash young na...more
The United States in the 1870s and ’80s was deep in turmoil–a brash young na...more
Hardcover, 362 pages
Published
January 6th 2009
by Random House
(first published December 24th 2008)
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The New York Times Book Review noted that "[t]rying to write intellectual history is like trying to nail jelly to a wall," but most critics concluded, with some reservations, that Werth has succeeded in this effort. Reviewers praised Banquet at Delmonico's for its taut storytelling and its bright evocation of the famous Americans who debated Darwinism. However, both the New York Times Book Review and the Washington Post lamented Werth's reluctance to take a step back from his story. Th
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The book covers a time in American history from 1871 to 1872. It culminates with the breakfast at DelMonico's where Herbert Spencer comes to America to speak to a select group of famous people. I wouldn't exactly defend the subtitle, The Triumph of Evolution in America, since I wouldn't exactly call it a triumph. There was still dissent, just like we have today unfortunately. It's more the triumph of Spencer. He seemed to rise ahead of Darwin as the champion of the theory of evolution as it appl...more
A simple review would state "This rich narrative is about the development of social Darwinism in post-Civil War polite society." But there ain't nothin' simple about this book! It is complex roller coaster ride through American society facing tremendous upheaval and rapid industrialization in the generation following Reconstruction.
And in light of current political and economic conditions and the ongoing debate of evolution vs. religion, this social history is incredibly ...more
And in light of current political and economic conditions and the ongoing debate of evolution vs. religion, this social history is incredibly ...more
Margaret Sankey
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Using Herbert Spencer's 1882 New York lecture as a framing device, Werth gives us a snapshot of the dazzling intersection of money, science and society in the Gilded Age, with nicely done vignettes of the tycoons, intellectuals and scandalous glitterati: Spencer, Edward Youmans, John Fiske, Louis Agassiz, Henry Ward Beecher, Victoria Woodhull, Carl Schurz, William Graham Sumner, William Evarts and Andrew Carnegie.
Craig J.
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"Banquet at Delmonico's: Great Minds, the Gilded Age, and the Triumph of Evolution in America by Barry Werth (2009)"
A very entertaining view of the post civil war years and the battle over and expansion of evolution theory and scientific reason. I recommend it highly.
This history of social Darwinism in America has many parallels in our time. In its original incarnation, social Darwinism was eclipsed by pragmatism, and I hope that's what we're experiencing now in our political life.
Henry Beecher and Victoria Woodhull, again
Engrossing look at the confluence of religion, science, and Capitalism in late 19th Cent. America to justify racism and weslth in the hands of a few. Fascinating look at the movers and shakers of the time: Darwin, Huxley, Spencer, Stowe, etc.
Truly intriguing story about the rise of social darwinism in the United States and to a degree in England. Worthwhile reading for an understanding of the social context of scientific acceptance.
Great history and information USA 1870's & 1880's.
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