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Until the nineteenth century, the investigation of natural phenomena, plants and animals was considered either the preserve of elite scholars or a pastime for the leisured upper classes. As increasing academic rigour and systematisation was brought to the study of 'natural history', its subdisciplines were adopted into university curricula, and learned societies (such as the Royal Horticultural Society, founded in 1804) were established to support research in these areas. A related development was strong enthusiasm for exotic garden plants, which resulted in plant collecting expeditions to every corner of the globe, sometimes with tragic consequences. This series includes accounts of some of those expeditions, detailed reference works on the flora of different regions, and practical advice for amateur and professional gardeners.

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222 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Botany and Horticulture

Page 12 of 12

John Ray, Naturalist
  • His Life and Works
  • Charles Raven
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1942
  • This biography of John Ray, the seventeenth-century naturalist, was first published in 1942 at the height of the Second World War. It was written by Charles Raven, an eminent theologian who shared Ray's deep respect for intellectual integrity, honest exploration of the natural world, and the value of both theology and scientific endeavour. More than a superb history, this offers an opportunity to reassess the pivotal contributions of a brilliant but often undervalued scientist. Ray's major publications were written in Latin; Raven's linguistic skills – coupled with his passion for natural history – made him ideally suited to interpret Ray's scientific legacy. Raven reviews Ray's academic and scientific careers in the context of the dramatic social upheavals of his time. He evaluates the remarkable long-term and widespread influence of Ray's work on the development of science, alongside the significance of his final book, The Wisdom of God.

The New Flora of the Volcanic Island of Krakatau
  • Ernst Alfred
  • Translated by A. C. Seward
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1908
  • On 27 August 1883, the island of Krakatau was destroyed in one of the most violent volcanic events ever recorded. This caused the 'year without a summer', thousands of deaths (mainly from tsunamis), fabulous sunsets and a measurable cooling of the oceans over nearly a century. Krakatau also provided evolutionary biologists with a unique opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of plant dispersal. This had been the subject of laborious research for Charles Darwin, who had speculated upon and, it seems, accurately postulated how an 'unstocked island' might be recolonised. In this 1908 volume, Alfred Ernst analysed the effects of wind, birds and sea currents in the transport not only of seeds but also of trees, branches and even of substantial animals. Krakatau's ecosystem, at a more primitive stage than that Darwin had seen on the Galapagos Islands, demonstrated how simple but continuous natural forces might re-establish a complex ecology.

Page 12 of 12