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Worlds of Natural History

Nicholas Jardine, Emma Spary, Brian W. Ogilvie, Sachiko Kusukawa, Valentina Pugliano, Leah Knight, Florike Egmond, Natalie Lawrence, Iris Montero Sobrevilla, Eric Jorink, Paula Findlen, Anna Toledano, Mary Terrall, Robert Felfe, Staffan Müller-Wille, Kärin Nickelsen, Daniela Bleichmar, Christopher Plumb, Miles Ogborn, Anne Secord, Katharine Anderson, Sandra Rebok, Lynn K. Nyhart, Samuel J. M. M. Alberti, Sadiah Qureshi, Sujit Sivasundaram, James A. Secord, Mitchell G. Ash, Jung Lee, Jim Endersby, Helen Anne Curry, Regina Horta Duarte, Joanna Radin, Etienne Benson, Morgan Richards
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  • Date Published: November 2018
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9781316649718

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  • From Aztec accounts of hibernating hummingbirds to contemporary television spectaculars, human encounters with nature have long sparked wonder, curiosity and delight. Written by leading scholars, this richly illustrated volume offers a lively introduction to the history of natural history, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Covering an extraordinary range of topics, from curiosity cabinets and travelling menageries to modern seed banks and radio-tracked wildlife, this volume draws together the work of historians of science, of environment and of art, museum curators and literary scholars. The essays are framed by an introduction charting recent trends in the field and an epilogue outlining the prospects for the future. Accessible to newcomers and established specialists alike, Worlds of Natural History provides a much-needed perspective on current discussions of biodiversity and an enticing overview of an increasingly vital aspect of human history.

    • Widens the geographical coverage of natural history, with essays relating to Latin America, South Asia and East Asia
    • Covers the Renaissance to the twenty-first century in an accessible style
    • Follows the format and approach of the acclaimed Cultures of Natural History
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    Reviews & endorsements

    'This massive, comprehensive, and extremely rich collection of essays features a stellar cast of contributors who have created a worthy sequel to Cultures of Natural History. From its elegant introduction to its colorful chapters and provocative afterword on the continuing vitality of natural history in the twenty-first century, this book fascinates and instructs. Dazzled by its contents, readers will have a difficult time deciding which compartment in this cabinet of curiosities to open first. This is scholarship in the history of science at its finest.' Bernard Lightman, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, President of the History of Science Society, and York University

    'This volume offers a cornucopia of new approaches to writing the history of natural history from the Renaissance to today. With attention to shifting epistemologies and material cultures, it situates ancient traditions of collecting, classifying, and preserving nature in relation to the modern biological and earth sciences. In our present era of vanishing biological diversity, the authors consider the lessons of the past for the future of both elite and popular scientific institutions, from seed banks to museums and zoos.' Deborah R. Coen, Yale University, Connecticut

    'Worlds of Natural History comes as close as is humanly possible to living up to its title. The essays illuminate almost every aspect of the vast enterprise of natural history, from collecting, networking, and voyaging to preserving, image-making, and classifying. Its sites are as various as the Renaissance apothecary's shop and the contemporary genetics lab; its locales criss-cross the globe. This book crystallizes decades of historical scholarship, and is the single best introduction to the topic.' Lorraine Daston, Director, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

    '… a rich snapshot of the current trends.' Aaron Van Neste, Annals of Science

    'The individual scholarly standards are matched by Cambridge University Press's production values and combine to make this volume testimony to the continuing vibrancy of natural history and its historical explication.' W. F. Bynum, Times Literary Supplement

    '… the essays collected here bring us closer to an understanding of how historians of science gain insights through trying to expand their perspectives, and search for continuities between the past and the present. This volume should become essential reading for both historians of science and all scholars keen to keep abreast of general historical debates about the environment, technology, globalisation, empire and exchange.' Sooyoung An, East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine

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    Product details

    • Date Published: November 2018
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9781316649718
    • length: 682 pages
    • dimensions: 245 x 190 x 31 mm
    • weight: 1.52kg
    • contains: 130 b/w illus. 16 colour illus. 1 table
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    Introduction: worlds of history Nicholas Jardine and Emma Spary
    Part I. Early Modern Ventures:
    1. Visions of ancient natural history Brian W. Ogilvie
    2. Gessner's history of nature Sachiko Kusukawa
    3. Natural history in the apothecary's shop Valentina Pugliano
    4. Horticultural networking and sociable citation Leah Knight
    5. European exchanges and communities Florike Egmond
    6. Making monsters Natalie Lawrence
    7. Indigenous naturalists Iris Montero Sobrevilla
    8. Insects, philosophy and the microscope Eric Jorink
    Part II. Enlightened Orders:
    9. The materials of natural history Paula Findlen and Anna Toledano
    10. Experimental natural history Mary Terrall
    11. Spatial arrangement and systematic order Robert Felfe
    12. Linnaean paper tools Staffan Müller-Wille
    13. Image and nature Kärin Nickelsen
    14. Botanical conquistadors Daniela Bleichmar
    15. Bird sellers and animal merchants Christopher Plumb
    16. Vegetable empire Miles Ogborn
    Part III. Publics and Empires:
    17. Containers and collections Anne Secord
    18. Natural history and the scientific voyage Katharine Anderson
    19. Humboldt's exploration at a distance Sandra Rebok
    20. Publics and practices Lynn K. Nyhart
    21. Museum nature Samuel J. M. M. Alberti
    22. Peopling natural history Sadiah Qureshi
    23. The oils of empire Sujit Sivasundaram
    Part IV. Connecting and Conserving:
    24. Global geology and the tectonics of empire James A. Secord
    25. Zoological gardens Mitchell G. Ash
    26. Provincializing global botany Jung Lee
    27. Descriptive and prescriptive taxonomies Jim Endersby
    28. Imperiled crops and endangered flowers Helen Anne Curry
    29. Networks of natural history in Latin America Regina Horta Duarte
    30. The unnatural history of postwar human biology Joanna Radin
    31. Fieldwork out of place Etienne Benson
    32. Wild visions Morgan Richards
    Epilogue: natural history and its histories in the twenty-first century Helen Anne Curry and James A. Secord.

  • Editors

    Helen Anne Curry, University of Cambridge
    Helen Anne Curry is the Peter Lipton Senior Lecturer in History of Modern Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge.

    Nicholas Jardine, University of Cambridge
    Nicholas Jardine is emeritus Professor of History and Philosophy of the Sciences at the University of Cambridge.

    James Andrew Secord, University of Cambridge
    James A. Secord is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge.

    Emma C. Spary, University of Cambridge
    E. C. Spary is Reader in the History of Modern European Knowledge at the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge.

    Contributors

    Nicholas Jardine, Emma Spary, Brian W. Ogilvie, Sachiko Kusukawa, Valentina Pugliano, Leah Knight, Florike Egmond, Natalie Lawrence, Iris Montero Sobrevilla, Eric Jorink, Paula Findlen, Anna Toledano, Mary Terrall, Robert Felfe, Staffan Müller-Wille, Kärin Nickelsen, Daniela Bleichmar, Christopher Plumb, Miles Ogborn, Anne Secord, Katharine Anderson, Sandra Rebok, Lynn K. Nyhart, Samuel J. M. M. Alberti, Sadiah Qureshi, Sujit Sivasundaram, James A. Secord, Mitchell G. Ash, Jung Lee, Jim Endersby, Helen Anne Curry, Regina Horta Duarte, Joanna Radin, Etienne Benson, Morgan Richards

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