The Huxleys

About this book

"The Huxleys is the first book to tell the full and fascinating story of Englands 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. Huxleys famous thesis on Mans Place in Nature contains much new material dealing with T.H. Huxleys 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 Huxleys writings; and others describing the details of Sir Julians 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."