The Huxleys

by Ronald William Clark

"The Huxleys is the first book to tell the full and fascinating story of England's most famous intellectual family. The author- the biographer of Sir Henry Tizard- has been given the help and co-operation of many members of the family and has been able to draw on a rich store of material. This includes the great Huxley collection in Imperial College; letters from the archives of Rice University, Texas, dealing with the early work of Sir Julian in the United States; and the reminiscences and recollections of most living Huxleys. The book, which traces a line of development stemming from T.H. Huxley's famous thesis on 'Man's Place in Nature', contains much new material dealing with T.H. Huxley's home life and builds up a vivid picture of him as a family man. There is a fresh and detailed commentary on the historic confrontation between Huxley and Bishop Wilberforce, a colourful picture of the youth and boyhood of Julian, Aldous, and their brother Trev; three chapters giving the background to Aldous Huxley's writings; and others describing the details of Sir Julian's work for the Zoological Society of London and the way in which he became, as the Director-General of Unesco, the force behind that organization in its formative years. The book also reveals the unexpected stories of many lesser-known Huxleys- the two daughters of T.H. Huxley who in succession married the Edwardian portrait-painter, the Hon. John Collier; the three Eckersley brothers, grandsons of T.H., who helped to create the foundations of British broadcasting; and the other Huxleys who have occupied influential positions in diplomacy or business. The Huxleys also contains more than thirty illustrations, including many family photographs published for the first time."

Genres: Biography

398 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1968

About the author

Ronald William Clark was a British author of biography, fiction and non-fiction. He was educated King's College School. In 1933, he embarked on a career as a journalist, and served as a war correspondent during the Second World War after being turned down for military service on medical grounds. As a war correspondent, Clark landed on Juno Beach with the Canadians on D-Day. He followed the war until the end, and remained in Germany to report on the major War Crimes trials. After his return to Britain he embarked upon a career as an author.