Madam How and Lady Why Charles Kingsley

Madam How and Lady Why

Author: Charles Kingsley
$14.99 1499
ISBN 9798888183120317 pages6" x 9"
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WHY does fire burn? You might answer, being a child, "Because it is hot," which is all you know about it. A great chemist might answer, "Fire burns because the vibratory motion of the molecules of the heated substance communicates itself to the molecules of other things, and so destroys them," which, I dare say, is quite true. But this only tells us How fire burns, the way or means by which it burns. It does not tell us the reason Why it burns. But you ask, "If that is not the reason why fire burns, what is?" My dear child, I do not know. That is Lady Why's business, who is mistress of Madam How, and of you and me, and of all things that you ever saw or can see, or even dream. And what her reason for making fire burn may be I cannot tell. We can learn quite a bit about the world around us with the help of Madam How: how volcanoes form, how earthquakes happen, how water can defeat something as strong and resilient as stone, and how much humanity has learned over the vast course of history. And Lady Why, as loving as she is wise, is the driver—leading us always toward understand and virtue. We may never uncover all that she knows, but always we ought to try, without getting full of ourselves and thinking we are master over her, instead of the other way around. This dialogue from 1870 between the author and his young son walks children through an investigation into the nature of the world through things as simple as a lovely glen, chalk, and the curious distribution of plant and animal species across the globe. Why is it the same plants should appear in both Europe and the Americas, when the two are separated by the Atlantic Ocean? What does chalk have to do with how farmers used to sow their fields? How has water in its various forms shaped and carved everything we see today? Both Madam How and Lady Why will take your hand and explain what they can, and everything Charles Kingsley gave them to say when he was writing in the nineteenth century is still supported by our current understanding of geology, paleontology, archeology, and biology—everything save his comment about coprolites. What are coprolites? Read along and find out. *Worldwide titles: These titles may take up to 1-2 weeks to ship, or longer in November and December. Read why here. 

WHY does fire burn?

You might answer, being a child, "Because it is hot," which is all you know about it.

A great chemist might answer, "Fire burns because the vibratory motion of the molecules of the heated substance communicates itself to the molecules of other things, and so destroys them," which, I dare say, is quite true. But this only tells us How fire burns, the way or means by which it burns. It does not tell us the reason Why it burns.

But you ask, "If that is not the reason why fire burns, what is?" My dear child, I do not know. That is Lady Why's business, who is mistress of Madam How, and of you and me, and of all things that you ever saw or can see, or even dream. And what her reason for making fire burn may be I cannot tell.

We can learn quite a bit about the world around us with the help of Madam How: how volcanoes form, how earthquakes happen, how water can defeat something as strong and resilient as stone, and how much humanity has learned over the vast course of history. And Lady Why, as loving as she is wise, is the driver—leading us always toward understand and virtue. We may never uncover all that she knows, but always we ought to try, without getting full of ourselves and thinking we are master over her, instead of the other way around.

This dialogue from 1870 between the author and his young son walks children through an investigation into the nature of the world through things as simple as a lovely glen, chalk, and the curious distribution of plant and animal species across the globe. Why is it the same plants should appear in both Europe and the Americas, when the two are separated by the Atlantic Ocean? What does chalk have to do with how farmers used to sow their fields? How has water in its various forms shaped and carved everything we see today?

Both Madam How and Lady Why will take your hand and explain what they can, and everything Charles Kingsley gave them to say when he was writing in the nineteenth century is still supported by our current understanding of geology, paleontology, archeology, and biology—everything save his comment about coprolites. What are coprolites? Read along and find out.

*Worldwide titles: These titles may take up to 1-2 weeks to ship, or longer in November and December. Read why here.