The Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed The World, Jenny Uglow, c. 2003.

The Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed The World, Jenny Uglow, c. 2003. 

The Lunar Society of Birmingham, link here. Other terms: Midlands Enlightenment. Lunar Circle. That name, or alternative names, were ever formally adopted by members; not known if anyone was specifically credited with coming up with the phrase, but there are "nominees."  

See link.

Time period:

The Lunar Men caught were up in the industrial revolution that began in 1760 in England.

The Industrial Revolution was a period of major technological advancements, starting in the late 1700s, that transformed agrarian and handicraft-based economies into industrial and machine-manufacturing based ones. This transformation began in Britain and spread to other parts of the world, significantly impacting society, economics, and daily life. 

Beginning in Great Britain around 1760, the Industrial Revolution had spread to continental Europe and the United States by about 1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines; new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes; the increasing use of water power and steam power; the development of machine tools; and rise of the mechanised factory system.

Perhaps ending with the recession in the 1830s but then the Second Industrial Revolution 1870 - 1914.

The Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed The World, Jenny Uglow, c. 2003.

The Lunar Society of Birmingham:

• genesis: 1760 - 1775
• formally recognized by one of the original members: 1775
• ceased to exist: 1791
• others say it lasted until: 1813

Global dates/important events:

• Seven Years War: war between France and England for global domination; Britain, the big winner
• French and Indian War: colonists name for Brits fighting the French and their Indian allies in North America; Britain, the big winner
• American Revolution: first shots, April 19, 1775; declaration, 1776
• King George III: 1760 - 1820

I probably picked up this gem for a couple of bucks at a discount book store many years ago. In hardcover it's not longer available at Amazon. Paperback? $35.

I first read this book years ago; did not enjoy it; thought it poorly written. But now, after reading Christopher Benfey's newest book on "pottery," I wanted to re-read this book. I finished the first two chapters today, poolside, and not a bit disappointed. Really, really enjoyed it.

First bit of trivia? Those belt buckles and shoe buckles that the Pilgrims made iconic? Now I know who, how, and why. LOL. That alone is almost worth the price of the book, but not quite. Again, it's the history of the Quakers and the potters that caught my interest. 

See also Jenny Uglow's review of Silk: A World History, by Aarathi Prasad, Williams Morrow, 293 pp.; $32.50. The NY Review mentions that Jenny has a new book coming out in 2025: A Year with Gilbert White: The First Great Nature Writer will be published in the UK this year. (June 2025).

Gilbert White, see wiki. 

Nichanachatory: letter from Erasmus Darwin.

Map: central England, centered around Lichfield (Birmingham), about 16 miles north of Birmingham.

Overview 

Some points:

• a group of highly successful men located away from the "scientific centers" of the UK and the continent
• centered in the Midlands of England but interestingly, a key figure was Benjamin Franklin -- see here.
  
• Birmingham in the center, though that's not where they met
• Manchester to the far north of the Midlands and not of interest for this group
• if a single point is needed, it's the cathedral city and civil parish of Lichfield, Staffordshire, sixteen miles northeast of Birmingham
• enjoyed each others company; simply got together when they happened "to be in town" and then gradually formalized their meeting places and times
• in addition to being leaders in their own areas of expertise and financially independent, they enjoyed science, arts, industrialization -- all the things that were making England great
• high point, mid- to late 1700
• three major rivers drain this area: River Trent, perhaps most important to this particular group; River Severn to the west, hard to say how important to this group; then, River Mersey, Hull to Liverpool -- very, very important for European emigration to the New World.

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Notes

Chapter 1:

Erasmus, early years -- electricity interest and then on to Cambridge University

Chapter 2: 

Boulton -- Birmingham; toys, buckles, buttons

Chapter 3: 

James Watt -- Scotland -- first hints of steam

Chapter 4:

Erasmus: physician, married, Lichfield, first Lunar bond -- Boulton and Erasmus.

Lichfield: cathedral city; Staffordshire, 16 miles north of Birmingham, almost dead-center, England; midway between Manchester to the north and London in the south in long arc. and then Manchester, a third of the way from Birmingham up to Edinburgh.

Chapter 5: Pots

Staffordshire.

Staffordshire, county directly north of Birmingham; encompasses Stoke-on-Trent in the north; Stafford ear the south, and Lichfield, far south, just north of Birmingham. Stoke-on-Trent to the far west of Neward-on_Trent.