The Essential Naturalist: Timeless Readings in Natural History - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226305708 ISBN 13: 9780226305707

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2011

Synopsis

Like nearly every area of scholarly inquiry today, the biological sciences are broken into increasingly narrow fields and subfields, its practitioners divided into ecologists, evolutionary biologists, taxonomists, paleontologists, and much more. But all these splintered pieces have their origins in the larger field of natural history—and in this era where climate change and relentless population growth are irrevocably altering the world around us, perhaps it’s time to step back and take a new, fresh look at the larger picture.

The Essential Naturalist offers exactly that: a wide-ranging, eclectic collection of writings from more than eight centuries of observations of the natural world, from Leeuwenhoek to E. O. Wilson, from von Humboldt to Rachel Carson. Featuring commentaries by practicing scientists that offer personal accounts of the importance of the long tradition of natural history writing to their current research, the volume serves simultaneously as an overview of the field’s long history and as an inspirational starting point for new explorations, for trained scientists and amateur enthusiasts alike.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael H. Graham is associate professor at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories at San Jose State University.

Review:

“This book includes eight centuries of observations in essays, such as the history of bees, birds, tigers, the Galapagos Islands, and a fascinating section on the relationship between ants and acacia trees. This is a book for a winter’s evening when the snow is high and you need reassurance that warmth exists somewhere. Or take it on a trip to exotic locales. Some of the articles are personal accounts by scientists. Other papers include overviews of the natural history field. The variety of contributors to this volume is stunning, including papers by Rachel Carson, Edward O. Wilson and Prince Albert of Monaco, among others.” (Adele Kleine Current Books on Gardening & Botany)

“[P]rovides an essential insight into the way keen observation helped to develop people’s vast knowledge of the living world. Highly recommended.”

(D. Bardack Choice)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0226305708
• ISBN 13: 9780226305707
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 552
• Editor: Graham Michael H., Parker Joan, Dayton Paul K.