There was a time when we knew little or nothing about the private and personal lives of famous scientists and philosophers, their biographers naturally concentrating more on their academic achievements. Nowadays, thankfully, this is no longer the case and we are given deeper insights into their backgrounds which help to throw light on their work.

Gerry Kennedy's The Booles and the Hintons: two dynasties that helped shape the modern world, is a very extensive account of two extended families from which he is descended. The first is that of George Boole (1815–1864), one of the fathers of computer science, the originator of symbolic logic, and, according to Bertrand Russell, the founder of pure mathematics. The other is James Hinton (1822–1875), ear surgeon, psychologist, and social philosopher. The dynasties are remarkable for the range of talents of their members in scientific, medical, mathematical, literary, musical, educational and other fields. Indeed, those who are interested in the question of whether genius and talent are hereditary or environmental will find a great deal to interest them in this book. The book is noteworthy too for its geographical extent. It involves England, where many of the characters were born; Ireland, where George and Mary Boole lived for many years and their five remarkable daughters were born; the United States, to which many of the clans emigrated; China, Russia, Poland and Japan.

The text abounds in geniuses and innovators, but also in eccentrics and mavericks—scientific, political, literary, and religious. We are given inside information on the famous Voynich manuscript, the greatest known challenge to codebreakers, as yet unsolved, on which the author is an authority. The fourth dimension, explored by Charles Howard Hinton, son of James and son-in-law of George Boole, is treated in depth; and there is a thorough discussion of the role of James Hinton as one of the founders of the permissive society, and his attitudes to sexuality, prostitution, nudity, and free love. His slogan ‘Just as Jesus Christ was the saviour of men, I am the saviour of women’, seems to sum up his position.

At nearly five hundred pages, it is perhaps a little lengthy, but the interest rarely flags. The author's travels in Russia and China, seeking family members, could have done with more editing, but the richness of the lives involved, good and bad, wins one over. The book, nicely produced by Atrium, an imprint of Cork University Press, seems to be remarkably free of typographical mistakes and factual errors. However, on page 59, it is stated that George Boole and Mary Everest were married in Wickwar, Gloucestershire by her father, the Reverend Thomas Roupell Everest in September 1855, whereas on page 53 it is stated, correctly, that he had died three months previously in June 1855. Indeed, her father's death was one of the main reasons why the twenty-one-year-old Mary married the forty-year-old George.

The Booles and the Hintons is thoroughly recommended, especially to historians of science and politics, and the wonder is why so little of this fascinating material has previously found its way into print. It should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in these two remarkable dynasties. And yet much remains to be investigated and written about. At least three of the main characters lack a properly researched modern biography. These are James Hinton himself, for good or for bad, a deeply interesting character, whose influence on modern life and morals has been largely ignored. Next is Mary Everest Boole (1834–1910), an educational psychologist whose ideas were very much before her time but found little circulation. Finally, there is the Boole's youngest daughter Ethel Voynich (1864–1960), composer, revolutionary, and author of The gadfly, one of the bestselling novels in the English language. If there are authors and Ph.D. candidates out there looking for suitable subjects, then they will not be disappointed with the lives of any of these three people.