Dutch Light: Christiaan Huygens and the Making of Science in Europe

by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

'At last – a scintillating biography of Christiaan Huygens . . . Hugh Aldersley-Williams has evocatively illuminated this brilliant polymath who laid the foundations of modern European science.'
Dr Patricia Fara, Emeritus Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge

'Fascinating . . . an impressive piece of scholarship. I learned a lot.'
John Gribbin, author of Six Impossible Things and In Search of Schrödinger's Cat

Filled with incident, discovery, and revelation, Dutch Light is a vivid account of Christiaan Huygens’s remarkable life and career, but it is also nothing less than the story of the birth of modern science as we know it.

Europe’s greatest scientist during the latter half of the seventeenth century, Christiaan Huygens was a true polymath. A towering figure in the fields of astronomy, optics, mechanics, and mathematics, many of his innovations in methodology, optics and timekeeping remain in use to this day. Among his many achievements, he developed the theory of light travelling as a wave, invented the mechanism for the pendulum clock, and discovered the rings of Saturn – via a telescope that he had also invented.

A man of fashion and culture, Christiaan came from a family of multi-talented individuals whose circle included not only leading figures of Dutch society, but also artists and philosophers such as Rembrandt, Locke and Descartes. The Huygens family and their contemporaries would become key actors in the Dutch Golden Age, a time of unprecedented intellectual expansion within the Netherlands. Set against a backdrop of worldwide religious and political turmoil, this febrile period was defined by danger, luxury and leisure, but also curiosity, purpose, and tremendous possibility.

Following in Huygens’s footsteps as he navigates this era while shuttling opportunistically between countries and scientific disciplines, Hugh Aldersey-Williams builds a compelling case to reclaim Huygens from the margins of history and acknowledge him as one of our most important and influential scientific figures.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Biography, European History

560 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2020

About the author

I was born in London in 1959, the same year C.P. Snow gave his infamous ‘two cultures’ lecture about the apparently eternal divide in Britain between the arts and sciences. Perhaps this is where it all begins. Forced to choose one or the other at school and university, I chose the latter, gaining an MA in natural sciences from Cambridge.

By graduation, I was aware of a latent interest in the arts, particularly in architecture and design, and was seeking ways to satisfy all these urges in something resembling a career. Journalism seemed the obvious answer, and after a string of increasingly disastrous editorial positions on technical magazines, I went freelance in 1986 and was able at last to write about what really interested me in newspapers and magazines in all these fields.

Having an American mother and an English father makes me, as it says on jars of honey, ‘the produce of more than one country’, and has left me with a curiosity about matters of national identity. Living in the United States gave me the opportunity to write my first book, using my semi-detachment from the culture to identify a renaissance in contemporary American design. Its success led to a larger-scale examination of design and national cultures as well as a number other design books and a five-year stint as design critic of the New Statesman.

Now, the science was losing out. Over-compensating perhaps, I wrote an entire book about a single molecule—albeit an exceptionally novel and beautiful one, called buckminsterfullerene. Here at last science and design began to merge. My projects since then have continued to explore science, design, architecture, national identity and other themes in books and exhibitions.

I am a member of the Society of Authors and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. I live in Norfolk and London with my wife Moira, son Sam, and two Maine coon cats.

Reviews

[Boudewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every time I read a book about scientists from the (late) Middle Ages or the Enlightenment, I am a little jealous: jealous of the fact that that was the moment in history where science managed to make rapid strides. In that period, thanks to the development of the telescope and  microscope, man was for the first time able to fathom the unattainable distance or, on the contrary, the tiny wonders of nature.

Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was undoubtedly one of the leading figures of seventeenth-century science. As a mathematician, he was a pioneer in probability calculation and integral calculus. As a physicist, he was the first to declare light as a wave phenomenon. As an astronomer, he explained Saturn's appearance by explaining the position of its rings and discovered one of its moons, Titan.

A Century of Light is not so much a biography of Huygens, but rather a description of how a talented person like Huygens researched and acted within the world of seventeenth-century science. As a follower of Descartes, he worked mainly in theory (rather than through experiments) and is therefore often seen as the first theoretical physicist.

As a talented draftsman, he also managed to provide his works with good illustrations. His drawing of Saturn's rings, and its relative position to Earth, enabled him to predict the exact appearance of Saturn.

What I also found remarkable was how Huygens was able to communicate with other scientists in his day. During the same period, Huygens became the first foreigner to become a member of the Royal Society and became a member of the newly founded L'Académie des sciences in France.

In addition to all the scientific components, the book also gives a good picture of the zeitgeist. Rembrandt van Rijn comes into the picture because he was asked to make a number of paintings by the Huygens family. Other painters and well-known figures also make their appearance.

All in all, Hugh Aldersey-Williams has written an interesting book that provides a good picture of seventeenth-century science through the work of Huygens.

[Anamontes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved it!
As a foreigner living in Delft, The Netherlands, this book not only gave me insight about Huygens but so much about the Dutch, their history, culture and people! It is very well written and the interconnection between all the events and people was very fluid and easy to follow. Not so science-focused as I was expecting, but the journey through the personal life of the Huygens family was a very pleasant surprise. I can't wait to visit Huygens House now with a completely renovated perspective! Thank you Hugh!

[Bjorn Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellently written biography of a man who ought to be celebrated a lot more. Beautiful storytelling throughout, this book takes you back to the height of the Enlightenment. A pleasant read for anyone interested in 17th century Dutch and science history.

[Arend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting more than captivating, but that's partly because I am very well familiar with Christiaan Huygens' work, and partly because a good part of the focus is on other members of the family (particularly Constantijn pere). Overall it gives a wonderful introduction to the beginnings of science as a profession and a method of investigation, and tries to return Christiaan Huygens back to his rightful place in the pantheon (irony intended).

Christiaan lived in an eventful and foundational period in Dutch history (secterianism, war, republicans vs royalists, and so on), which doesn't come through very strongly in the book, especially given the Orangist loyalty of the Huygens family.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly well written, though sometimes drags a bit and feels disogranized as the author shares many (maybe too many) differnet small stories of people that Huygens came in contact with in some ways in that era. The most interesting part was that on the birth of modern scientific method and community in Europe - which I would have enjoyed treated as a book on its own.

[Niek de Rooij · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating reappraisal of one of te brightest minds of the 17th Century and one of the founders of modern science. Whereas all of Europe celebrated Huygens in his days, now he is largely forgotten, even in his native The Netherlands. Aldersey-Williams tells the story of Huygens, his talented family and his inventions in a compelling way, and provides ample scientific and historic context. He shines a new light on the genius who owns his place amongst Galilei, Newton, Kepler and Einstein. Although the storyline could perhaps have been a bit tighter, It was an eye-opening and engaging read.

[Olaf Koopmans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is more about Huygens achievments, then about his life. And that's not meant as critic, just as an obeservation. Unfortunatly for me it meant that I didn't grasp most of the story Williams is telling, lacking the neccesary scientific knowlegde to appriciate the story about the development of for instance the theories about light, lenses, clocks and planets. Some a subjects where Christiaan Hygens played an important part and did groundbreaking work.

But although I didn't get most of the technical information Williams portrays, I still could appriciate his good writing and the convincing picture of the scientific world in the 17th Century that he paints. Intelligently weaving together the stories of more then just Christiaan Huygens himself, he includes the achievments of his father, brother and other contemporaries to paint the picture of the times when science changed from amateur interests to dedicated proffesionals.

For those more familiair with scientific knowlegde this is probably a very good read. For me just a small introduction to an important Dutch scientist, who I didn't know at all. But only scrathing the surface as far as understanding what he really achieft.

[ANTHONY CUTLER · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough, if slightly pedestrian, traverse of Huyens' life and work. Good on context, especially his father Constantijn whose names crops up often in galleries in the interpretation of 17th century Dutch art.

I first came across Huygens in high school when the physics teacher was discussing the wave theory of light. He mentioned that Huygens had invented the pendulum clock with "cheeks" that was effective at sea as a timekeeper. When Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time came out, I was puzzled as I though this long-solved before Harrison's time. However, this book was good at explaining how Huygens' invention never really worked.

The author does overplay the "but for that pesky Newton, Huygens would have been the greatest scientist of the 17th century". Newton's insight, even if the context was ripe, in coming up with a grand system of such universal (sic) applicability is a standout achievement in the history of thought. Huygens' motley collection of, admittedly substantial, discoveries is not really on that level.

[Eunice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book but I felt it could have been better. I learned a huge amount about Christiaan Hugyens and the remarkable family from which he came, about the world of 18th century science and the interconnectedness of the science community at this time. Hugyens was a remarkable scientist who discovered the rings of Saturn and much else but whose reputation was overshadowed subsequently by Newton and others. My reservation about the book is structural. While essentially chronological there seems to be a lot of repetition or themes begun and then left for a time and then suddenly taken up again. I wonder if this could have been resolved by better editing.

[Gergő Érdi-Krausz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christiaan Huygens, according to this book, was one of the few scientists who Newton regarded as his equal, and left behind lasting discoveries in maths, physics, optics and astronomy, yet barely anyone knows about him. So this book I find definitely fills an important void in my view, but I think it could have done with a generous dose of editing - sometimes the 17th century poems take precedence over actually explaining Huygens' findings and theories, which was pleasant to read but often frustrating as I was left feeling that I didn't actually learn what he contributed.

[Bram Wijngaarden · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Proof is left as an exercise to the reader."

Aldersley-Williams rightly places Huygens as one of the most important scientists in history, but tends to rely on could have-would have to illustrate his impact more than I think necessary. Meticulously researched, I'm sure, but I would have liked to see that rigour applied to the text itself, as well. And I would certainly have liked to see the exact reasoning and proofs by which Huygens reached his conclusions. I guess I will have to look them up elsewhere..

[Anne Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

for so much I hated history in school, this book would have compensated for the boring hours. can’t wait to order the next ( or former) book…
a lively book about history , ha! someone can do it and it has many levels of interest: history, science, language, perfect to consume over some holidays on the beach

[MJonker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi om te lezen dat Newton inderdaad op de schouders van reuzen stond. In dit geval Huygens. Ook de rol van licht bij diverse ontwikkelingen (schilderkunst) in die tijd wordt mooi belicht. Alsook bredere historische context

[Fictional Persona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal read about a pivotal family in 17th Century Low Country provinces - what was to become The Netherlands. Constantijn Huygens, a luminary in his time, as well as a man accomplished in many fields, raised Christiaan, who became one of the seminal mathematicians, physicists, and astronomers of the era and an influence far into future centuries.

[Rudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik vond het een zeer aangenaam boek en zou het zeker aanraden aan lezers die interesse hebben in geschiedenis en biografieën
Welkom in 1600 -1700

[Wietse99bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mooi boek over het leven van Christiaan Huygens. Veel nieuwe dingen geleerd over de Nederlandse geschiedenis.

[jsallcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m really getting into alchemy these days” — Newton (cringe)

“I’m really getting into aliens these days” — Huygens (based)