This paper describes how I anthologised the ‘and’ of nineteenth century literature and science for a volume in Oxford University Press's World's Classics series. The challenge was to choose and align a hundred excerpts from novels, scientific essays, poems, and textbooks to reveal the ‘feedback loop’ of influence between literary and scientific writers. Some of the best evidence for cross-pollination I discovered in journal volumes. In repeated cycles of comments from my editor and reader, and with frequent input from friends, I found myself rethinking what it means to exchange ideas, and did my best to illustrate these interactions for general readers.
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