The Naturalist in Britain: A Social History (Princeton Paperbacks)

The Naturalist in Britain: A Social History (Princeton Paperbacks)

by David Elliston Allen (Author)

Synopsis

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.

$74.75

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Edition: With a New preface by the author
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 06 Nov 1994

ISBN 10: 0691036322
ISBN 13: 9780691036328

Media Reviews
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 It is a book which is unlikely to be superseded.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
Author Bio
David Elliston Allen is coordinator of the History of Medicine Program of The Wellcome Trust. He is also Honorary Lecturer in the History of the Life Sciences, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, and teaches at the University College, London.