"[An] excellent, well-illustrated and scholarly biography of Haeckel."

Andrew Robinson | Finacial Times

"A truly engrossing and fascinating story about a man, the product of 19th century Romanticism, part artist, part scientist, who becomes by his own insight and conviction the epicenter of a powerful clash between science and religion. Even 100 years later, the repercussions of Haeckel’s actions continue to be felt in today’s scientific, popular, religious, and even political discourse. . . . Richards’ exhaustive scholarship is evident throughout this brobdingnagian and revealing work of biography and history of science....this book will go a long way in recalibrating our understanding, even our appreciation, of Haeckel’s position in the history of embryology and of his contributions to modern biological research."

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado | Cell

"The Tragic Sense of Life, by Robert J. Richards, provides not only a biography of the controversial German evolutionist Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), but also an important piece of the emerging picture of the Darwinian Revolution in its international and intergenerational dimensions. . . . Richards’s analysis brings Haeckel and Darwin closer together than ever before, even for those of us who resist making Romantics of them both. By doing so, and by defending Haeckel from the excesses of his critics and bringing out the personal side of his science, this book marks a major rehabilitation of Haeckel as a mainstream Darwinian, and a full-blooded one at that. It writes Germany into the larger story of the international development of Darwinism in a new way, and it injects welcome doses of drama, romance and natural beauty into the story."

Sander Gliboff | American Scientist

"In this magnificent book, Richards gives Haeckel a scientific reputation that he never quite secured during his life. The case is compelling that we should go back and look at Haeckel’s scientific work, and not just at the gorgeous pictures that have often distracted historians. Thanks to Richards, we have a guide to the work and its context and impact. He has brilliantly illuminated this fascinating and tragic life."

Jane Maienschein | History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

"Haeckel has now found his champion in historian Robert J Richards who sets out to change forever the general perception of this man, whom he regards as one of the greatest in the history of the life sciences. . . . Thanks to Richards’s magnificent biography, Haeckel will never again be discounted."

Michael Ruse | The Lancet

"In his characteristically rich and rolling prose, Richards weaves a compelling story of a life marked by tragedy and of an intense, larger-than-life figure whose passions drove his scientific research and philosophy. In Richards’s rendering, the scientific Haeckel cannot be understood separately from the man’s personality and private circumstances. . . . One cannot leave this book without a deep appreciation for Haeckel as a tragic figure and for the force of personality in shaping the direction science may take."—Lynn Nyhart, Science

Lynn Nyhart | Science

"This is a fascinating book. It should be read carefully and avidly."

Elof Axel Carlson | Quarterly Review of Biology

"[An] absorbing biography."

Gregory Radick | History Today

"[The book] is a monumental accomplishment. It transforms our understanding of Ernst Haeckel, the history of morphology, evolutionary biology and the early history of developmental evolution. . . . Haeckel, with all his passions and contradictions, with all his triumphs and tragedies, reminds us what the excitement of a scientific life lived to its full potential is all about."

Manfred D. Laubichler | Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"Richard's Book takes us through the development of Haeckel's scientific ideas and his incorporation of evolutionism into the philosophy of 'monism' which he used to attack traditional religious beliefs. It also tells us about his private life - the tragedy referred to in the title was the death of his first wife only two years after their marriage."

Canadian Journal of History