Margaret Bryan (c.1760–1816) taught natural science to women at a time when it was largely the preserve of men. She ran a boarding school for girls in Blackheath, London, from 1795 to 1806, and the curriculum included mathematics and sciences - rarely offered to young women. She published her lecture notes on astronomy in 1797, and after their positive reception she decided to undertake another volume of lectures. This resulting work, published in 1806, is a collection of Bryan's lectures on 'natural philosophy', containing thirteen chapters on topics such as mechanics, pneumatics and acoustics, magnetism and electricity. Each chapter provides illustrations, and at the end of the volume there is an appendix with astronomical and geographical questions and exercises, as well as a scientific glossary. These lectures provide a glimpse into the little-known world of women's education towards the end of the Georgian period.
Throughout her lifetime, Margaret Bryan (fl.1795–1816) ran several schools for girls. Although science and maths were not usually considered suitable subjects for young women, Bryan was convinced that the use of one's reasoning faculties was all but a religious obligation. She taught across a huge range of topics, including optics, trigonometry and the history of astronomy. This book is a collection of ten of her lectures and was first published in 1797. Largely non-technical and written for those without a thorough knowledge of mathematics, the lectures explain contemporary science as simply as possible, using everyday experiments and clear diagrams. From astronomical predictions for the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt to Newton's theory of the aether, the material covered is still readable and fascinating today, and represents a remarkable example of female scholarship long before the acceptance of the first woman into the Royal Society.
Discover why Leopard has spots, and what happens when Mrs. Chicken meets a hungry crocodile. These and other Dan tales are engagingly retold with dramatic black-and-white linoleum prints.
