John Wilkins, 1614-1672

"By any standard, John Wilkins was one of the remarkable men of his century. He was, in turn, or in tandem, theologian, scientific experimenter, Warden of Oxford College, science-fiction writer, linguist, encyclopedist, scientific entrepreneur and administrator, bishop, politician, and preacher. Because he participated so deeply in the whole intellectual life of his time, it is fitting that this biography should examine the major currents of philosophy, science, religion, and letters in seventeenth-century England." -- Dust jacket front flap.