Great NaturalistsRobert Huxley The story of natural history as seen through the lives, observations, and discoveries of the world's greatest naturalists. We owe a debt of gratitude to the great naturalists who described, experimented, and collected, who gave us the means to understand the natural world and the potential not only to exploit it but also to conserve it. They came from all over Europe and America, from Classical times to the end of the nineteenth century when natural history changed from a mainly amateur pursuit to today's specialized scientific profession. Braving dangers from storms, pirates, and disease in their pursuit of cataloging the natural world, pioneers such as Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin changed the course of science with their daring travels and groundbreaking theories. This book includes many who are well known, such as the earliest great natural historian, Aristotle; Carl Linnaeus, the man who brought order to nature; the great voyager and collector Joseph Banks; and Georges Cuvier, who established the concept of extinction. But others are now given their rightful place: Antony van Leeuwenhoek, who made his own microscopes and discovered bacteria; Nicolas Steno, who opened the door to the earth's geological past; and Mary Anning, "the princess of palaeontology," who had an amazing, self-taught talent for finding fossils. Many whose lives are described here were great artists as well as naturalists, and the book is illustrated with beautiful and precise paintings and drawings of birds, animals, fossils, fish, shells, and rocks selected from the unparalleled picture archives and collections of the Natural History Museum, London, as well as other sources. 194 illustrations, 137 in color. |
Contents
Robert Hooke | 12 |
THE ANCIENTS | 20 |
THE FATHER OF BOTANY | 28 |
Copyright | |
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18th century Adanson Agassiz Aldrovandi America anatomy ancient Andrea Cesalpino Aristotle Aristotle's Audubon Banks Bartram became Belon birds botanist botany Brunfels Buckland Buffon Carl Linnaeus Catesby Cesalpino Charles Darwin classification collections creatures Cuvier described descriptions developed Dioscorides drawing Earth Erasmus Darwin established evolution expedition exploration extinct F Syst fauna fish flora fossils Fuchs geology Georg Steller Georges Cuvier Gessner Greek herbals historians History of Animals Humboldt ideas illustrations insects John Ray Jussieu knowledge known Lamarck later Latin Leeuwenhoek Linnaeus Linnaeus's living London Lyell Mark Catesby Materia Medica medicine microscope modern Museum natural history natural world naturalist Nicolaus Steno Notable Commentaries observations organisms original Owen philosopher physician pioneer plants and animals Plez Pliny published Renaissance Robert Hooke rocks Royal Society scientific scientists Sloane species specimens Steller Steno strata Theophrastus theory travels Ulisse Aldrovandi University volumes voyage Wallace William William Bartram wrote zoology