Memories

Readers have waited a long time for this life story. Sir Julian Huxley is now past eighty, and his name became well known roughly fifty years ago. He comes from one of the most talented families of his era, and he has added his own distinction to it through his efforts to spread scientific understanding. His public work includes writing, teaching, creating game reserves in Africa, and protecting nature in England, including at the London Zoo, along with his service at UNESCO.

The opening chapters trace the family's two previous generations. Among them are his father, Leonard Huxley, who edited the Cornhill magazine, his grandfather T.H. Huxley, and Thomas Arnold's son, the child of the headmaster of Rugby. Huxley recalls his earliest encounters with the natural world, beginning at four years old, when a walk with his nursemaid brought him face to face with a large toad leaping out of a hedge. He later credits that moment with shaping his path as a naturalist.

From Eton he won a biology scholarship to Balliol, earned a First Class Honours degree, and began a serious career in biology. Much of this is familiar, but here he brings a personal perspective to it. He admits he was far less self-assured than his early success suggested, and he describes emotional struggles that marriage eased only in part, as recurring depression stayed with him for years. The account is often wry, and it includes his work alongside figures such as J.B.S. Haldane and H.G. Wells.

Despite his commitment to rigorous research, he writes warmly about Africa's wildlife and England's scenic landscapes, recalling filming gannets on a sanctuary island off Wales and composing a quiet poem in his tent during the endless summer days of Spitsbergen. His scientific output fills more than forty books and countless articles. Huxley is a reserved man, however, and this book is the first in which he sets out his deepest thoughts on science, life, religion and humanism.