The great naturalists

While perhaps not a great book, The Great Naturalists is certainly a very good book. Huxley (Natural History Museum, London) and a renowned group of international scholars describe the lives and contributions to natural history of 39 extraordinary men and women--from Aristotle, the first philosopher-naturalist, to the "complete naturalist" of the 19th century, Charles Darwin. Many of the individuals are well known, whereas others, such as the early Swiss zoologist Konrad Gessner and the German explorer Georg Steller, are much less so. Included are the contributions of two women, illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian, and 19th-century paleontologist Mary Anning. The inclusion of these often overlooked individuals underscores the real value of this book. The volume is richly illustrated with many original drawings and paintings. Although each of the biographies encompasses no more than a dozen pages, Huxley has provided an extensive bibliography for those who wish to learn more about the lives of these giants of a now bygone era. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. F. T. Kuserk Moravian College

The little-known history of natural history-that is, how the first naturalists observed and catalogued their world, how they grappled with unanswered questions, and how the sciences of geology, biology, ecology and paleontology developed over three centuries-is wonderfully illuminated in this volume from the Natural History Museum of London?s Huxley. Examining 39 naturalists, Huxley assigns each subject-from ancient Greece?s Aristotle to America?s first botanist, Asa Gray-his or her own biographer (many also from London?s Natural History Museum), who provide a brief but detailed life story and a summation of scientific contributions. While some subjects are well-known-John James Audubon, Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin among them-many will be unfamiliar: John Ray, labeled the "English Aristotle," first defined the concept of "species"; Antony van Leeuwenhoek discovered micro-organisms (using Robert Hooke?s microscope); and Mary Anning, born to destitution in Regency England, sparked a revolution in scientific thought with her fossil excavations. These naturalists were often excellent figure and watercolor artists, and this volume is heavily illustrated with striking, full-color reproductions from their publications (and occasional portraits); especially revelatory are renderings of now extinct species, like Audubon?s glorious painting of the Carolina parakeet. (Nov.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.