It’s exactly that Forrest Gump-like quality of Priestley’s life that piqued Johnson’s interest in the somewhat forgotten scientist/theologian/political thinker, who often ended up residing in historical footnotes. “I was going to write a broader book on innovation and discovery, and I stumbled on this story of Priestley’s oxygen experiments and the American connection,” Johnson says. “There was one turning point where I read that Jefferson said Priestley had the single biggest effect on his religious beliefs and had even kept him a Christian. I thought, ‘This is a side of the Founding Fathers I hadn’t heard. I’m going to write a whole book on this guy.’”
Johnson will discuss and sign the book tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Tattered Cover, 2526 East Colfax Avenue; admission is free. For more information, call 303-322-7727 or go to www.tatteredcover.com.
Mon., Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m., 2009
