Island Life: Or, the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras, Including a Revision and Attempted Solution of the Problem of Geological Climates - Softcover

Wallace, Alfred Russel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 022604503X ISBN 13: 9780226045030

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2013

Synopsis

Alfred Russel Wallace is best known as the codiscoverer, with Charles Darwin, of natural selection, but he was also history’s foremost tropical naturalist and the father of biogeography, the modern study of the geographical basis of biological diversity. Island Life has long been considered one of his most important works. In it he extends studies on the influence of the glacial epochs on organismal distribution patterns and the characteristics of island biogeography, a topic as vibrant and actively studied today as it was in 1880. The book includes history’s first theory of continental glaciation based on a combination of geographical and astronomical causes, a discussion of island classification, and a survey of worldwide island faunas and floras.

The year 2013 will mark the centennial of Wallace’s death and will see a host of symposia and reflections on Wallace’s contributions to evolution and natural history. This reissue of the first edition of Island Life, with a foreword by David Quammen and an extensive commentary by Lawrence R. Heaney, who has spent over three decades studying island biogeography in Southeast Asia, makes this essential and foundational reference available and accessible once again.

About this title

About the Author:

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist, as well as a prolific author.

Review:

“Though Alfred Russel Wallace wasn’t the first island biogeographer (neither was Darwin), he was the Kepler of the field, the Linnaeus, the Chuck Berry—the sturdy giant upon whose shoulders stand those who have come later and seen farther. This book, Island Life, is the foundational text.” (David Quammen, from the foreword)

“Along with Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace must be considered one of the pioneers of evolution, a fundamental principle to truly understand the history of earth.”
(David Bressan Scientific American)

“Island Life is a classic work that focuses specifically on island biogeography, and it represents one of Wallace’s most important contributions. Fortunately, the first edition (1880) has been reissued to commemorate the centennial of Wallace's death. This new version begins with a brief foreword by author David Quammen and a thorough sixty-page introduction by Lawrence Heaney, one of the foremost modern scholars on island biogeography, especially for Southeast Asia.  Heaney’s detailed commentary is a wonderful addition that updates the original book. . . . Highly recommended.” (E. J. Sargis, Yale University Choice)

“Island Life remains a good read, even after more than a hundred years. It offers an insight into the development of logical thought and the evolution of ideas based on observable evidence. This reprint, with its insightful commentaries, is a reminder of what constitutes a publishing classis and a milestone in biological understanding.” (Pat Morris Biological Journal of the Linnean Society)

“The value in reprinting this book rests not only in making it more easily accessible to modern readers, but also in its outstanding introduction and commentary by island biogeographer Lawrence R. Heany. . . . Just like Darwin’s Origin of Species, the structure of Island Life has a powerful logic. For each chapter, Wallace marshals impressive evidence from a variety of disciplines. . . . Wallace has much to say that is still worth reading today.” (Sherrie Lyons Reports of the National Center for Science Education)

“This new edition features an interesting foreword by David Quammen on the circumstances of Wallace’s life and work: in spite of Wallace’s collaboration with Charles Darwin, the explorer we regard as the father of biogeography was often held at arms’ length by the scientific in-crowd due to his quirky nonscientific interests. That changed with the publication of Island Life, which firmly reestablished Wallace’s scientific credibility as one of the preeminent scholars of his time. This edition also features a detailed commentary by Lawrence Heaney. . . . Heaney effectively moves Wallace out of Darwin’s shadow, without lessening the achievements of either man, by arguing convincingly that Wallace’s scientific contribution―and perhaps his most important contribution―extends well beyond the codiscovery of natural selection. . . . An essential read for anyone interested in the complex distribution of life on Earth.” (Katharine A. Marske, University of Copenhagen Quarterly Review of Biology)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 022604503X
• ISBN 13: 9780226045030
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 608