Sir James Jeans by Christopher Jeans

Sir James Jeans (1877-1946) has been described as “a mathematician, astronomer, physicist, musician, a brilliant writer and lecturer, one who could truly be described as a Renaissance man”.  He was “a giant in an age of gigantic developments in science and he had a great and honourable share in the making of that age”.

Who was this man and what were his achievements?

This biography describes Jeans’s contribution to science, astrophysics in particular and takes you behind behind the scenes of a very private and shy man. It describes the major role his two wives Charlotte Mitchell (1877-1934) and the musician Susi Hock (1911-1993) played in his success. It brings together three families: The Jeanses with their newspaper background, the Tiffanys of New York jewellery fame, and the Hocks, a notable Viennese family. It describes Jeans’s background, his private and professional lives, and details the development of Cleveland Lodge, his home, as an international musical centre. The book is profusely illustrated using contemporary photographs from the family albums and other sources. It includes the most comprehensive bibliography of his writings, published and unpublished, that is available.