After her acclaimed biographies of A. A. Milne and Emily Tennyson, Ann Thwaite examines the life of Philip Henry Gosse, the renowned Victorian naturalist, author, illustrator and Christian fundamentalist, who as both friend and antagonist of Charles Darwin was at the very heart of the Victorian conflict between science and religion. 'Extensively illustrated and full of eyecatching contemporary detail, Glimpses of the Wonderful is a masterpiece of Victorian biography.' Guardian (Book of the Week) 'Ann Thwaite, in this compelling, deeply moving biography, recreates Gosse as a warm, humorous and learned man, a devoted husband, father and grandfather; a brilliant zoologist, and, as a young man, an eager, brave explorer . . . Ann Thwaite has recreated a man, an era and a way of thought. Her brilliant, beautifully illustrated, poignant and illuminating book shows that, in their respect for the infinite variety of forms of life on this planet, the Victorians and ourselves are not so very far apart.' The Times 'Thwaite's biography is heroic in its subject and its zestful research. Engrossing to read, it is also beautifully produced, the illustrations and end-papers showing Gosse's paintings of lizards, beetles and other small creatures that seem to glow with love and fascination.' Sunday Times