On a Grander Scale: The Outstanding Life of Sir Christopher Wren

Wren was a child prodigy in 17th century England. He shifted from astronomy,medical field, art,mathmatics,and most of his life as a architect rebuilding London after fire destroyed a large portion of the city. Wren lived with civil wars , plagues, invasions from other countries,but also a revival of new ideas in all facets of life. Wren the man was in the English aristocracy with several others worked directly with the Kings of England ,because he outlived so many of them. This is,a fascinating book to read ,and Jardine explains Wrens life as a person that always wants to do more than just expected.

There are numerous biographies available on Christopher Wren. These range from the relatively brief, bu informative, ones to this, which is dense and scholarly. Lisa Jardine has done a superb job of research. Although one reviewer objected to the quotes which are used lavishly, I found them to be pertinent and very helpful. The illustrations also are quite excellent.I recommend this book for anyone who wishes a comprehensive, scholarly biography of Christopher Wren.

The author took an amazingly complex individual with so many seemingly divergent talents and wove them into a wonderful read. Her style is at the same time conversational and in-depth. No small feat for a man with the talents and interests of Wren. I highly recommend this book.

Anyone who visits London will have pointed out to them "a Wren church." This biography of the 17th century architect Christopher Wren explains why that is. It seems the world produced at least one genius who was not a bully, a cad or a drunk. Living until his 90s, Wren worked to the end and transformed a great city in a way few men ever do. Read this as the antidote to all those biographies of talent in people who made better animals than human.

Christopher Wren, didn't he rebuild St. Paul's after the Great Fire. Yes, he did that--and rebuilt all those parish churches too. We all know that.But, who knew that is father was the Dean of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and, in that capacity hid the records of the Order of the Garter during the Cromwell period?Who knew that he helped to found the Royal Society (for the advancement of science)? That he was at one time a professor of astronomy.In an age where half those born did not reach their first birthday, Christopher Wren, lived to be 91 years old. His achievements were monumental (pun intended) but they want far beyond the architecture we know about (which in his old age he referred to as "rubbish").His was an astounding life. This book is well researched and superbly written. After reading this one, I went out and bought the author's life of Jane Austen (of course from Amazon).Kudo's to the author and you all go out and buy (and read) this one!

Great History, well researched, but not a great read.

Fine, scholarly work that nicely documents and sheds much light on an extraordinary individual, as well as on his times and many contemporaries. Yes, a bit tedious at times for those of us who are not scholars. A part of me wished that the substance might have come in fewer pages, with more of the detail reserved for notes or appendices, although I appreciate that might have stripped flavor from the bones. While I do not for the most part favor "psychological" biographies, I think that I would have welcomed a bit more about the man, Chistopher Wren, as well as the context and his accomplishments. I admit that some of Jardine's other efforts have done better at hooking me and keeping me reading. Still: Informative, interesting and well-written.

"reader if you require a monument, look around you" (inscription of the plaque at Wren's tomb)Sir Christopher Wren was born to a life of privilege that evaporated when Charles I was deposed. His father was Order of the Garter. Suddenly his family was in danger of losing life as well as property. These were Wren's student years. During this period Wren became pragmatic, and he survived.It was the Restoration of Charles II to the throne of England that restored the fortunes of the Wren family. Too late for the father, but at precisely the right moment for the son. Charles II restored the monarchy, and restored the fortunes of Wren. The Restoration was an extraordinary period.Wren was a Renaissance man, best known for his architecture, in particular St. Paul's Cathedral. But Wren also "mapped moons and the trajectories of comets" He "pursued astronomy and medicine during two civil wars."This is a scholarly biography, and not light beach reading. Lisa Jardine's 85 pages of notes and an eighteen page bibliography may give some insight into how seriously she has taken her subject. On a Grander Scale is a detailed report on a fascinating time in England's history and one of the men that made it so. It is well done, accurate, and intellectually stimulating.

The title does justice to Wren's incredible breadth of knowledge and achievements and to the sheer size and weight of the book itself.Lisa Jardine is a brilliant writer. The research is impeccable and her prose is skilful but easy to read.At times the sheer detail can be overwhelming and it'll need at least three re-reads to remember even a fraction of what's covered here. I read it on a 40 minute commute in three months and that bite-sized approach worked well for me.Robert Hooke gets plenty of airtime in this volume, but Jardine wrote an equally brilliant book on his life too

A brilliant book, heavy at times but nevertheless compelling

Excellent!

A wonderful biography, written by an academic, in great detail, giving a fantastic picture of the age in which Sir Christopher Wren lived.

Great read. Well worth the price.