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17504 results in General Science

Page 217 of 876

Mental Evolution in Animals
  • With a Posthumous Essay on Instinct by Charles Darwin
  • George John Romanes
  • Appendix by Charles Darwin
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    20 October 2011
    First published in:
    1883
  • George John Romanes (1848–94), considered by The Times to be 'the biological investigator upon whom in England the mantle of Mr. Darwin has most conspicuously descended', wrote this influential work on the evolution of the mental faculties of animals in 1883. The two scientists were close friends, and Darwin gave Romanes his notes on psychology to use in his studies. Much of the book is devoted to instinct, and contained in the appendix is a posthumous essay by Darwin on the subject, originally intended for a later edition of On the Origin of Species. Romanes' method of using anecdotal evidence over empirical research has been criticised, but this book stands as an influential work in the history of evolutionary biology; it was followed in 1888 by his Mental Evolution in Man (also reissued in this series), which discussed some of the most important issues of nineteenth-century evolutionary psychology.

Historical and Biographical Sketches of the Progress of Botany in England
  • From its Origin to the Introduction of the Linnaean System
  • Volume 2
  • Richard Pulteney
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1790
  • Richard Pulteney (1730–1801) was a Leicestershire physician whose medical career suffered both from a lack of aristocratic patronage and from his dissenting religious background. However, his lifelong interest in botany and natural history, and particularly his work on the new Linnaean system of botanical classification, led to publications in the Gentleman's Magazine and the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1762. His book on Linnaeus (also reissued in this series), first published in 1782, was later considered to be of great significance for the acceptance in England of the Linnaean system, and this two-volume work, published in 1790, is still relevant to the study of the history of botany. Volume 2 includes the development of botanical gardens, famous figures such as Dillenius and Sherard, and the study of botany in Scotland and Ireland.

Fauna Boreali-Americana; or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America
  • Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N.
  • Volume 1, The Mammals
  • John Richardson
  • Assisted by William Swainson, William Kirby
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1829
  • Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer, went on Sir John Franklin's first two Arctic expeditions as ship's doctor and naturalist, and made observations and collected a large number of plant and animal specimens from the Canadian Arctic. On his return to England after the second expedition he began to write this four-volume work of natural history, first published between 1829 and 1837. A volume is dedicated to each of the classes of mammal, bird, fish and insect, which are found in the Canadian Arctic. This work is an interesting example of pre-Darwinian natural history, full of detailed descriptions of the appearance, anatomy and behaviour of the different species. Volume 1, first published in 1829, focuses on mammals. Descriptions of the species sometimes include details of interactions between humans and that species; for example, unfortunate encounters between sailors and polar bears.

The British Pomology
  • The History, Description, Classification, and Synonymes, of the Fruits and Fruit Trees of Great Britain
  • Robert Hogg
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1851
  • Robert Hogg (1817–97), son of a Scots nurseryman, was destined for a career in medicine, but abandoned his studies to pursue horticulture. Employed by a famous London tree nursery, he travelled widely in Britain and Europe to study gardening practice. This work, first published in 1851, was intended to encourage a taste for the 'most important, most instructive, and intellectual branch of horticultural science' - the cultivation of fruit. (The book is subtitled 'The Apple', as though further volumes on other fruit were intended, but none appeared, though Hogg did publish The Fruit Manual (also reissued in this series) in 1860.) It lists and gives detailed descriptions, including drawings, of 401 apples in cultivation in Great Britain, and a further 541 of which Hogg had no direct knowledge. He provides classification lists by fruit colour, shape, seasonality and region - a fascinating resource for the history of horticulture and of food.

Catalogue of Plants Cultivated in the Garden of John Gerard, in the Years 1596–1599
  • Edited by Benjamin Daydon Jackson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    04 October 2011
    First published in:
    1876
  • For twenty years, the herbalist John Gerard (1545–1612) served as superintendent of the gardens of Elizabeth I's minister, Lord Burghley. The 1596 edition of Gerard's Catalogus is probably the first complete catalogue of any one garden, public or private, ever published. Describing his own garden, the list includes frankincense, saffron, an almond tree and even tulips, then exotic and notoriously costly. Probably intended originally only for the interest of Gerard's friends, and containing numerous errors, it progressed in 1599 into a new, improved edition for a much wider readership. In this book, first published privately in 1876, the botanist Benjamin Daydon Jackson (1846–1927) reproduces both editions, preserving the original errors and adding a memoir of the author that demonstrates the depth of his own research. With the modern names of the plants printed beside their earlier counterparts, Jackson's text is a fascinating resource for historical botanists and taxonomists.

Fauna Boreali-Americana; or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America
  • Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N.
  • Volume 4, The Insects
  • John Richardson
  • Assisted by William Swainson, William Kirby
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1837
  • Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer, went on Sir John Franklin's first two Arctic expeditions as ship's doctor and naturalist, and made observations and collected a large number of plant and animal specimens from the Canadian Arctic. On his return to England after the second expedition he began to write this four-volume work of natural history, first published between 1829 and 1837. A volume is dedicated to each of the classes of mammal, bird, fish and insect, which are found in the Canadian Arctic. This work is an interesting example of pre-Darwinian natural history, full of detailed descriptions of the appearance, anatomy and behaviour of the different species. Volume 4 was first published in 1837 and was written by distinguished entomologist William Kirby (1759–1850) using Richardson's specimens from the second expedition. It focuses on the species of insect found in the Canadian Arctic.

Notes on the Natural History of the Strait of Magellan and West Coast of Patagonia
  • Made during the Voyage of HMS Nassau in the Years 1866, 67, 68, and 69
  • Robert O. Cunningham
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    26 January 2012
    First published in:
    1871
  • The Scottish naturalist Robert O. Cunningham (1841–1918) began his 1866 voyage to South America in inclement weather, and, by the eleventh day of travel, noted a 'pond' forming in his tiny cabin aboard HMS Nassau. With never-failing humour, Cunningham presents here a record of the zoological, botanical and geological observations made across the three years he spent at sea. As the ship's naturalist (recommended for the post by J. D. Hooker), his time was given wholly to research and exploration, and his findings are both fascinating and thorough. Included are his anecdotal records of seamen's slang, research into the history of the changing landscapes he visited, which had been previously documented by travellers as diverse as Drake and Darwin, statistical data on various species of animals and plants, and twenty-two original images. First published in 1871, this is an absorbing testament of the breadth of the explorer-naturalist's interests.

Memorials of Sir C. J. F. Bunbury, Bart
  • Volume 7, Later Life Part 3
  • Charles James Fox Bunbury
  • Edited by Frances Horner Bunbury, Katharine Horner Lyell
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • Sir Charles James Fox Bunbury (1809–86), the distinguished botanist and geologist, corresponded regularly with Lyell, Horner, Darwin and Hooker among others, and helped them in identifying botanical fossils. He was active in the scientific societies of his time, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851. This nine-volume edition of his letters and diaries was published privately by his wife Frances Horner and her sister Katherine Lyell between 1890 and 1893. His copious journal and letters give an unparalleled view of the scientific and cultural society of Victorian England, and of the impact of Darwin's theories on his contemporaries. Volume 7 covers the years 1873–7. With advancing age there are many notices of deaths or illnesses of friends or colleagues, such as Sedgwick, Agassiz and Lyell, but Bunbury was still enthusiastically discussing his reading with correspondents.

Recollections of a Happy Life
  • Being the Autobiography of Marianne North
  • Volume 1
  • Marianne North
  • Edited by Janet Symonds
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • Marianne North (1830–90), the Victorian amateur botanist and painter, travelled to distant countries of the world to paint exotic flora in their natural surroundings. This two-volume collection of her memoirs, edited by her sister and published in 1892, records North's remarkable travels. Laden with her palettes and easels, the independent North travelled alone and fended for herself. Her journals describe how she endured swarms of insects, scaled cliffs, trudged through wilderness and crossed swamps in order to reach the plants she wanted to paint. Volume 1 covers North's early upbringing and the origins of her enthusiasm for nature, and traces her travels through Canada and the United States, Jamaica, Brazil, Japan, Borneo, India and Sri Lanka. This fascinating autobiography reveals the stories behind North's art, which can still be appreciated today since she bequeathed her vivid paintings to Kew Gardens, where they are on display.

Hortus Veitchii
  • A History of the Rise and Progress of the Nurseries of Messrs James Veitch and Sons
  • James Herbert Veitch
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    09 October 2011
    First published in:
    1906
  • The Veitch dynasty, originally from Scotland, owned plant nurseries in Devon and London throughout the nineteenth century. By commissioning several expeditions to search for new and exotic flora for British gardens, they were instrumental in bringing many previously unknown plants into cultivation in Britain. James Herbert Veitch (1868–1907), who became managing director of the firm, spent time in Germany and France studying the techniques of horticulture, and later travelled the world himself collecting plants for the nursery in Chelsea. This work, published in 1906, gives a detailed account of the family business and of the men that the firm sent to South America, Japan, China and India during the period 1840–1906, including distinguished plant finders such as William Lobb, his brother Thomas, who first introduced various types of orchids from India to Britain for cultivation, and Richard Pearce, who brought back tuberous begonias from South America.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way!
  • Or, Science in the Cottage; An Account of the Labours of Naturalists in Humble Life
  • James Cash
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    22 December 2011
    First published in:
    1873
  • During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries many scientists, naturalists, engineers and inventors from humble backgrounds, largely self-taught, made significant contributions to British science. This 1873 book by James Cash (1839–1909) celebrates their achievements in natural history, while promoting a 'self-help' ideology, stressing how disadvantages could be overcome by those with ability and determination. Many of his subjects corresponded with great names such as William Jackson Hooker, and sent specimens or local information which helped build up the larger picture. Cash gives particular attention to men from the north of England, where many men engaged in the cloth trade were also notable plant collectors. His subjects include George Caley, a weaver self-taught in Latin and French, and whom Sir Joseph Banks employed to go to New South Wales as a collector; Edward Hobson, a factory worker; and John Horsefield, a self-taught weaver who memorised the Linnaean orders at his loom.

The Life of Richard Owen
  • With the Scientific Portions Revised by C. Davies Sherborn and an Essay on Owen's Position in Anatomical Science by the Right Hon. T. H. Huxley, F.R.S.
  • Volume 2
  • Richard S. Owen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1894
  • Richard Owen, F.R.S. (1804–92) was a controversial and influential palaeontologist and anatomist. Originally from Lancaster, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital. He grew interested in anatomical research and, after qualifying as a surgeon, became assistant conservator in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and then superintendent of natural history in the British Museum. He became an authority on comparative anatomy and palaeontology, coining the term 'dinosaur' and founding the Natural History Museum. He was also a fierce critic of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and engaged in a long and bitter argument with Thomas Huxley, known as 'Darwin's bulldog' for his belligerent support of the theory. Published in 1894, this two-volume biography draws on Owen's diaries and a wealth of correspondence. Volume 2 includes an essay on Owen's contributions to anatomical science written, surprisingly, by Huxley.

Life of Alexander von Humboldt
  • Compiled in Commemoration of the Centenary of his Birth
  • Volume 1
  • Julius Löwenberg, Robert Avé-Lallemant, Alfred Dove
  • Edited by Karl Bruhns
  • Translated by Jane Lassell, Caroline Lassell
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1873
  • Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was a naturalist, explorer and philanthropist now well known for his multidisciplinary approach to science. First published in English in 1873, this two-volume biography was translated from the German edition of 1872, edited by Karl Bruhns, which had been compiled in commemoration of the centenary of Humboldt's birth. Incorporating numerous extracts of Humboldt's own warmly written letters and anecdotes from his many acquaintances, it charts his travels in South America, Asia and Europe. Volume 1 covers his early exploratory trips and some of his lesser-known exploits, including becoming Superintendent of Mines in Northern Bavaria, his research on the sixteenth-century eruption of Nevado del Altar in Ecuador and his friendship with the young Prince William of Prussia. Of interest to students and researchers in the history of science, this is a minutely detailed and compelling insight into the life of the man behind the scientist.

A Selection from the Physiological and Horticultural Papers Published in the Transactions of the Royal and Horticultural Societies
  • Thomas Andrew Knight
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    24 November 2011
    First published in:
    1841
  • Thomas Andrew Knight (1759–1838) was a distinguished British naturalist and botanist who is often regarded as the father of nineteenth-century horticultural science. From 1811 to 1838 Knight was the president of the Royal Horticultural Society and his interest in structural biology, plant physiology and plant breeding is evident in this collection of papers, published in 1841. On his country estate in Herefordshire, Knight devoted his time to research and writing, and carried out experiments on plants and trees. He published papers on his theories about such physiological problems as the ascent and descent of sap and how buds are produced. The main focus, however, is on Knight's own practical work: building greenhouses and experimenting with plant nutrition, fertilisation and the improvement of fruit trees by selective breeding (work later appreciated by Darwin). In an interesting chapter on animals, Knight relates his observations on the behaviour of bees and dogs.

Memoir and Correspondence of the Late Sir James Edward Smith, M.D.
  • Volume 1
  • James Edward Smith
  • Edited by Pleasance Smith
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    24 November 2011
    First published in:
    1832
  • Originally published in 1832, this two-volume account of the life of Sir James Edward Smith (1759–1828) was posthumously compiled by his wife, Pleasance (1773–1877). Smith trained originally as a doctor, but his independent wealth enabled him to pursue botany. Hugely influenced by the work of Linnaeus, he benefited greatly from the purchase of the latter's library and herbarium in 1783, upon the advice of his friend, Sir Joseph Banks. He was highly regarded throughout Europe as a botanist, and in 1788 founded the Linnean Society. He published various botanical works, of which the most important was The English Flora (1824–8), and assisted in the publication of many more. His wife recounts his character as well as his achievements, using both narrative and 'various familiar and domestic letters' to do so. Volume 1 includes letters from Banks and Samuel Goodenough, bishop of Carlisle and Smith's close botanical friend.

Memorials of Sir C. J. F. Bunbury, Bart
  • Volume 8, Later Life Part 4
  • Charles James Fox Bunbury
  • Edited by Frances Horner Bunbury, Katharine Horner Lyell
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1892
  • Sir Charles James Fox Bunbury (1809–86), the distinguished botanist and geologist, corresponded regularly with Lyell, Horner, Darwin and Hooker among others, and helped them in identifying botanical fossils. He was active in the scientific societies of his time, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851. This nine-volume edition of his letters and diaries was published privately by his wife Frances Horner and her sister Katherine Lyell between 1890 and 1893. His copious journal and letters give an unparalleled view of the scientific and cultural society of Victorian England, and of the impact of Darwin's theories on his contemporaries. Volume 8 covers the years 1878–83. Family and social matters, and comments on the disturbed political state of Europe, and British military engagements in Africa and Afghanistan, predominate, although Bunbury also comments on plants he has seen and books he has read.

The Subtropical Garden
  • Or, Beauty of Form in the Flower Garden
  • William Robinson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1871
  • The Irish-born gardener and writer William Robinson (1838–1935) travelled widely to study gardens and gardening in Europe and America. In 1871 he founded a weekly illustrated periodical, The Garden, which he owned until 1919, and he published numerous books on different aspects of horticulture. Topics included annuals, hardy perennials, alpines and subtropical plants, as well as accounts of his travels. High Victorian garden fashion involved formal beds of exotic and hothouse flowers. Robinson was influential in introducing less formal garden designs, using plants more suited to the English climate. This work was published in 1871, and showed how impressive outdoor displays could be achieved from hardier species, rather than relying on expensive greenhouses for short-lived plants. Robinson's most famous books, The Wild Garden (1870) and The English Flower Garden (1883) are also reissues in this series.

Essay on the Modifications of Clouds
  • Luke Howard
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    22 December 2011
    First published in:
    1865
  • An industrial chemist by profession, Luke Howard (1772–1864) proposed the method of cloud classification that is still in use today. His life-long interest in meteorology led him to produce this landmark work in the history of the subject. General scientific opinion at the time was that clouds were too changeable to be classified, but, inspired by Linnaeus' work in biological classification, Howard proposed a method which used Latin terminology - cirrus, cumulus, stratus and nimbus - to provide a standard description for each of three groups of cloud types. His work was first published in the Philosophical Magazine in 1803; it was produced in book form in 1832 but went quickly out of print. This reissue is of the third printing (1865) of the edition brought out after his death in 1864 by two of his sons. Howard's other meteorological works are also reissued in this series.

Memorials of Sir C. J. F. Bunbury, Bart
  • Volume 6, Later Life Part 2
  • Charles James Fox Bunbury
  • Edited by Frances Horner Bunbury, Katharine Horner Lyell
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1891
  • Sir Charles James Fox Bunbury (1809–86), the distinguished botanist and geologist, corresponded regularly with Lyell, Horner, Darwin and Hooker among others, and helped them in identifying botanical fossils. He was active in the scientific societies of his time, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851. This nine-volume edition of his letters and diaries was published privately by his wife Frances Horner and her sister Katherine Lyell between 1890 and 1893. His copious journal and letters give an unparalleled view of the scientific and cultural society of Victorian England, and of the impact of Darwin's theories on his contemporaries. Volume 6 covers the years 1869–72. Bunbury was less active in scientific matters than before, but still reading copiously, carrying on a busy social life, and developing the gardens of his home in Suffolk. There are many comments on current affairs and politics.

Catalogue des plantes indigènes des Pyrénées et du Bas Languedoc
  • Avec des notes et observations sur les espèces nouvelles ou peu connues
  • George Bentham
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1826
  • English botanist George Bentham (1800–84) is most famous as the author of the popular Handbook of the British Flora (1858), which ran into many editions. A distinguished scientist, Bentham was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1862, and served as President of the Linnean Society of London for thirteen years (1861–74). Originally published in 1826, this catalogue of plants from the Pyrénées region of France is Bentham's second work. Inspired by French botanist de Candolle (1778–1841) as well as by the analytical methods of his uncle, the famous philosopher Jeremy Bentham, this book is a systematic overview of the plants found between Figueras, in the north of Spain, and Bordeaux, Narbonne and Montpellier in France. The book opens with the story of Bentham's 1825 three-month trip through the Pyrenees region, with botanist G. A. Walker Arnott (1799–1868), on which the Catalogue is based.

Page 217 of 876