This work investigates the intellectual development of Henry Adams, specifically focusing on his attempt to apply scientific principles to the study of history. William H. Jordy, a scholar of American intellectual history, examines how Adams grappled with the rapid industrialization and scientific advancements of the late nineteenth century. By analyzing Adams's major writings, Jordy illustrates the tension between the historian's desire for objective, law-governed historical analysis and the subjective realities of human experience. The book provides a rigorous examination of Adams's methodology and his eventual disillusionment with the possibility of a 'science of history.'

This text serves as a specialized study for those interested in the history of ideas and the evolution of American historiography. The analysis is dense and academic, providing a focused look at the intersection of scientific thought and historical inquiry during the Gilded Age.