"[Richard Owen] was a scientific colossus . . . Readers may not leave with feelings of admiration for the man himself, but they will surely come to appreciate his central role in the vibrant enterprise of natural history in the 1800s."

Natural History

"British naturalist Richard Owen was at times kind and sensitive, at other times vindictive and even dishonest. . . . The author expertly analyzes the British social structure during Owen's day, which of course shaped some of his behavior. . . . Recommended."

Choice

"Do read Armstrong’s book. It is an excellent introduction to a complex man who engaged in a complex, intriguing but eternal science."

Evolution

"In this lively and sure-footed biography, distinguished historian of science Patrick Armstrong brilliantly brings a lifetime of scholarship to the task of explicating why Victorian-era palaeontologist and Charles Darwin collaborator and detractor Richard Owen remains worthy of our attention. A fascinating study!"

Tom Chaffin, author of 'Odyssey: Charles Darwin, the Beagle, and the Voyage that Changed the World'

"Armstrong’s biography accomplishes its admirable purpose—describing in considerable detail Owen’s many accomplishments and contrasting them with his disagreeable nature."

Geoffrey Martin, Southern Connecticut State University