The Naturalist in Britain:
A Social History
David Elliston Allen

With a new preface by the author

Paper | 1994 | $46.95 / £32.95 | ISBN: 9780691036328
312 pp. | 5 x 8 | 11 halftones

Shopping Cart | Reviews | Table of Contents

At once a major resource for historians of science and an excellent introduction to natural history for the general reader, David Allen's The Naturalist in Britain established a precedent for investigating natural history as a social phenomenon. Here the author traces the evolution of natural history from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries, from the "herbalizings" of apprentice apothecaries to the establishment of national reserves and international societies to the emergence of natural history as an organized discipline. Along the way he describes the role of scientific ideas, popular fashion, religious motivations, literary influences, the increase of leisure time and disposable income, and the tendency of like-minded persons to form clubs. His comprehensive and entertaining discussion creates a vibrant portrait of a scientific movement inextricably woven into a particular culture.

Review:

"Allen's original [book] ... is dense with picturesque detail, rich in correlation with social, artistic, and technical trends."--The Times Literary Supplement

"Allen has made a caring, pioneering attempt towards mapping this vast forest.... It is a book which is unlikely to be superseded."--Roy Porter, Annals of Science

Table of Contents

Subject Areas:

• Biological Sciences
• European History
• History of Science and Medicine, Philosophy of Science

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For customers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia
Paper: $46.95 ISBN: 9780691036328

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Paper: £32.95 ISBN: 9780691036328

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