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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 London Zoological Society, founded in 1826) were established to support research in these areas. These developments are reflected in the books reissued in this series, which describe the anatomy and characteristics of animals ranging from invertebrates to polar bears, fish to birds, in habitats from Arctic North America to the tropical forests of Malaysia. By the middle of the nineteenth century, this work and developments in research on fossils had resulted in the formulation of the theory of evolution.

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94 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Zoology

Page 1 of 5

Evenings at the Microscope
  • Or, Researches among the Minuter Organs and Forms of Animal Life
  • Philip Henry Gosse
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    02 July 2015
    First published in:
    1859
  • English zoologist Philip Henry Gosse (1810–88) spent several years studying the biodiversity of habitats in North America and the Caribbean. His Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica (1851) is reissued in this series. When he settled on the Devonshire coast, the area proved equally rich for research. In this 1859 publication, the deeply religious Gosse considers the 'Divine mechanics' of animal body parts and microorganisms seen through the lens of a microscope. He leads the reader through a selection of specimens ranging from a hog's bristle to the shoe-like protist Paramecium. Gosse's writing style, enlivened with anecdotes and literary references, earned him considerable appreciation among Victorian audiences. His entertaining text is complemented by more than 100 illustrations which showcase his draughtsmanship. While the work shares its year of publication with Darwin's groundbreaking Origin of Species, Gosse's religious views firmly shaped his interpretation of the specimens on show.

Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation
  • Pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée
  • Volume 4
  • Georges Cuvier
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1817
  • French zoologist and naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), one of the most eminent scientific figures of the early nineteenth century, is best known for laying the foundations of comparative anatomy and palaeontology. He spent his lifetime studying the anatomy of animals, and broke new ground by comparing living and fossil specimens - many he uncovered himself. However, Cuvier always opposed evolutionary theories and was during his day the foremost proponent of catastrophism, a doctrine contending that geological changes were caused by sudden cataclysms. He received universal acclaim when he published his monumental Le règne animal, which made significant advances over the Linnaean taxonomic system of classification and arranged animals into four large groups. The sixteen-volume English translation and expansion, The Animal Kingdom (1827–35), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. First published in 1817, Volume 4 of the original version covers zoophytes and concludes with several beautiful plates.

Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation
  • Pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée
  • Volume 3
  • Georges Cuvier
  • Published online:
    05 July 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1817
  • French zoologist and naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), one of the most eminent scientific figures of the early nineteenth century, is best known for laying the foundations of comparative anatomy and palaeontology. He spent his lifetime studying the anatomy of animals, and broke new ground by comparing living and fossil specimens - many he uncovered himself. However, Cuvier always opposed evolutionary theories and was during his day the foremost proponent of catastrophism, a doctrine contending that geological changes were caused by sudden cataclysms. He received universal acclaim when he published his monumental Le règne animal, which made significant advances over the Linnaean taxonomic system of classification and arranged animals into four large groups. The sixteen-volume English translation and expansion, The Animal Kingdom (1827–35), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. First published in 1817, Volume 3 of the original version covers molluscs, arachnids and insects.

Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation
  • Pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée
  • Volume 1
  • Georges Cuvier
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1817
  • French zoologist and naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), one of the most eminent scientific figures of the early nineteenth century, is best known for laying the foundations of comparative anatomy and palaeontology. He spent his lifetime studying the anatomy of animals, and broke new ground by comparing living and fossil specimens - many he uncovered himself. However, Cuvier always opposed evolutionary theories and was during his day the foremost proponent of catastrophism, a doctrine contending that geological changes were caused by sudden cataclysms. He received universal acclaim when he published his monumental Le règne animal, which made significant advances over the Linnaean taxonomic system of classification and arranged animals into four large groups. The sixteen-volume English translation and expansion, The Animal Kingdom (1827–35), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. First published in 1817, Volume 1 of the original version covers mammals and birds.

Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation
  • Pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée
  • Volume 2
  • Georges Cuvier
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1817
  • French zoologist and naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), one of the most eminent scientific figures of the early nineteenth century, is best known for laying the foundations of comparative anatomy and palaeontology. He spent his lifetime studying the anatomy of animals, and broke new ground by comparing living and fossil specimens - many he uncovered himself. However, Cuvier always opposed evolutionary theories and was during his day the foremost proponent of catastrophism, a doctrine contending that geological changes were caused by sudden cataclysms. He received universal acclaim when he published his monumental Le règne animal, which made significant advances over the Linnaean taxonomic system of classification and arranged animals into four large groups. The sixteen-volume English translation and expansion, The Animal Kingdom (1827–35), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. First published in 1817, Volume 2 of the original version covers reptiles and fish.

The Great Auk, or Garefowl
  • Its History, Archaeology, and Remains
  • Symington Grieve
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    05 March 2015
    First published in:
    1885
  • The great auk (Pinguinus impennis, formerly Alca impennis), a flightless bird of the north Atlantic, became extinct in the mid-1850s because of over-hunting - apart from being used as a food source and as fish-bait, its down was used for feather beds, and efforts in the early nineteenth century to reduce the slaughter were not effective. The last breeding pair was killed in 1844. This 1885 work by Scottish naturalist and scientist Symington Grieve (1850–1932) collects together 'a considerable amount of literature bearing upon the 'History, Archaeology, and Remains' of this extinct bird'. The material includes articles on the historic distribution of the great auk, its known habits, its various names, and information on all the surviving specimens, whether stuffed, skeletal, bones, or eggs. The book is illustrated with drawings and lithographs of auk remains, and an appendix supplies historical and contemporary documents on the auk from all over Europe.

The Life and Letters of Gilbert White of Selborne
  • Volume 1
  • Edited by Rashleigh Holt-White
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1901
  • Published in 1901, this illustrated two-volume biography of the renowned English naturalist Gilbert White (1720–93) presents a thorough account of his life and achievements. Prepared by White's great-great-nephew Rashleigh Holt-White (1826–1920), it incorporates a selection of White's correspondence with family and friends, providing valuable insights into his beliefs and character. Included are letters sent by White's lifelong friend John Mulso (1721–91), who praised the naturalist's work, predicting it would 'immortalise' White and his Hampshire village. Still considered a classic text, The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789), featuring White's careful observations of local flora and fauna, is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. In the present work, Holt-White sought to correct the 'erroneous statements' that had previously been made about his relative. Volume 1 covers White's life and achievements up to August 1776, including his studies at Oxford and his ordination as a priest.

A Naturalist's Calendar
  • With Observations in Various Branches of Natural History
  • Gilbert White
  • Edited by John Aikin
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    21 August 2014
  • The naturalist Gilbert White (1720–93) was known for his meticulous observations of flora and fauna in their natural environment, primarily around his village of Selborne in Hampshire. This posthumous 1795 publication, edited by the physician and writer John Aikin (1747–1822), comprises a collection of extracts from White's previously unpublished papers from 1768 to his death. Presented here for 'lovers of natural knowledge' is a full year of White's observations. Following the month-by-month record of natural events, the book contains brief studies of birds, quadrupeds, insects, plants and the weather. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, White had kept a near daily record of his activities for more than forty years. Regarded as one of the fathers of ecology, inspiring others to appreciate the natural world, White is best known for The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789), which is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

The Life and Letters of Gilbert White of Selborne
  • Volume 2
  • Edited by Rashleigh Holt-White
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
    First published in:
    1901
  • Published in 1901, this illustrated two-volume biography of the renowned English naturalist Gilbert White (1720–93) presents a thorough account of his life and achievements. Prepared by White's great-great-nephew Rashleigh Holt-White (1826–1920), it incorporates a selection of White's correspondence with family and friends, providing valuable insights into his beliefs and character. Included are letters sent by White's lifelong friend John Mulso (1721–91), who praised the naturalist's work, predicting it would 'immortalise' White and his Hampshire village. Still considered a classic text, The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789), featuring White's careful observations of local flora and fauna, is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. In the present work, Holt-White sought to correct the 'erroneous statements' that had previously been made about his relative. Volume 2 traces White's life from September 1776, considering the impact of the loss of family members, and his legacy after his death.

The Dodo and its Kindred
  • Or The History, Affinities, and Osteology of the Dodo, Solitaire, and Other Extinct Birds of the Islands Mauritius, Rodriguez, and Bourbon
  • Hugh Edwin Strickland, Alexander Gordon Melville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    01 January 2015
  • Well versed in natural history, particularly geology and ornithology, Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811–53) became fascinated by the dodo and mankind's influence on its extinction. Seeking to investigate this flightless bird and other extinct species from islands in the Indian Ocean, he invited the comparative anatomist Alexander Gordon Melville (1819–1901) to help him separate myth from reality. Divided into two sections, this 1848 monograph begins with Strickland's evaluation of the evidence, including historical reports as well as paintings and sketches, many of which are reproduced. Melville then analyses the osteology of the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire, describing his findings from dissections of the few available specimens and making comparisons with similar species. A seminal work, it correctly concluded that the dodo was more closely related to pigeons than vultures, and the book also inspired others to take up the search for new fossil evidence.

The Natural History of the Order Cetacea
  • And the Oceanic Inhabitants of the Arctic Regions
  • H. W. Dewhurst
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    21 August 2014
    First published in:
    1834
  • Before Henry William Dewhurst established himself in Bloomsbury, where he lectured in 1827–8 on anatomy and physiology, he served as a ship's surgeon and made a journey to Greenland and its surrounding seas in 1824. During that time he was able to study the large Arctic creatures that fascinated him, especially whales. In the decade after his return, he prepared this thorough description of polar sea life. Published in 1834, it includes many engraved illustrations. Whales were of especial interest in this period, owing to the use of their blubber in many household objects, and Dewhurst also touches on the practice of whaling. His work was one of the first studies to examine the different species of whales, as well as dolphins and other marine life. It stands as an important contribution to the development of Arctic zoology.

Memoirs of Hugh Edwin Strickland, M.A.
  • William Jardine, Hugh Edwin Strickland
  • Published online:
    05 January 2015
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1858
  • Published in 1858, this memoir recounts the life and work of the natural historian and geologist Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811–53). Written by his father-in-law, the Scottish naturalist Sir William Jardine (1800–74), the book covers Strickland's early childhood, his education at Oxford, his involvement in and influence upon the establishment of the Ray Society and his notable academic pursuits in natural history before his life was tragically cut short by a freak railway accident in 1853, when he was just forty-two. The reader will gain an insight into Strickland's character, his scientific acquaintances, including Henslow and Darwin, and his wide-ranging interests in the area of natural history, including geology, zoology, palaeontology and especially ornithology, demonstrated by his study The Dodo and its Kindred (1848). Drawing upon revealing and informative extracts from Strickland's journals throughout, the book also contains a wide selection of Strickland's shorter scientific writings.

The Humble-Bee
  • Its Life-History and How to Domesticate it, with Descriptions of All the British Species of Bombus and Psithyrus
  • Frederick William Lambert Sladen
  • Published online:
    05 January 2015
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
    First published in:
    1912
  • This classic work by F. W. L. Sladen (1876–1921) was published in 1912. Captivated by the bees in the grounds of his home, he produced his first essay on them in 1892, and later began to keep bees and produce honey as a livelihood, at the same time studying and breeding honeybees. Moving in 1912 to Canada, he eventually received the title of Dominion Apiarist, but unfortunately his work was cut short by his sudden death in 1921. When this book was published, there were no detailed accounts of the life cycles of the humble-bee (or bumblebee) species. Sladen provides these, with a guide to distinguishing the different British species (with colour plates which can be viewed at http://www.cambridge.org/9781108075725), and instructions on how to domesticate these important pollinators. Combining the enthusiasm of a naturalist with the precision of a scientist, this work is of continuing interest and importance in environmental studies.

Observations in Natural History
  • With an Introduction on Habits of Observing, as Connected with the Study of that Science
  • Leonard Jenyns
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    10 July 2014
    First published in:
    1846
  • Although devoted to his parish, Leonard Jenyns (1800–93) combined his clerical duties with keen research into natural history. Notably, he was offered the place on the Beagle that later went to Charles Darwin. His numerous works include A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals (1835) and Observations in Meteorology (1858), both of which are reissued in this series. First published in 1846, the present work was originally intended as a companion volume to Gilbert White's acclaimed Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789), which Jenyns had copied out as a student at Eton. The product of two decades of meticulous observation of Jenyns' surroundings in eastern England, the text includes journal entries with careful records on a wide variety of wildlife, including quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and molluscs. Also featuring a detailed calendar of periodic phenomena, this work illuminates the rhythms and quirks of the natural world in England.

Land and Sea
  • Philip Henry Gosse
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    28 August 2014
    First published in:
    1865
  • Philip Henry Gosse (1810–88) is best remembered today for the portrait given by his son Edmund in his autobiographical Father and Son. In his own day, he was famous as a natural historian, and his books were extremely popular. (His Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica is also reissued in this series.) In 1857, Gosse moved from London to Devon, where he spent the rest of his life. This 1865 book offers essays about various aspects of the geography and natural history of the West Country. There are some digressions (one chapter is on the woods of Jamaica), and reminders of the two great Victorian crazes, for ferns and for seashore life, which Gosse's writings partly instigated. In his final essay, on Dartmoor, is an appendix which argues that Britain is the biblical Tarshish - a reminder that Gosse was also a fundamentalist Christian who struggled with many aspects of contemporary science.

A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals
  • Or, Descriptions of All the Animals Belonging to the Classes Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, and Pisces Which Have Been Hitherto Observed in the British Islands
  • Leonard Jenyns
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
    First published in:
    1835
  • Widely respected by contemporaries for his work in natural history, Leonard Jenyns (1800–93) combined research with his duties as an Anglican clergyman. He published and lectured extensively on zoology and botany. Having recommended Darwin for the Beagle voyage, he later produced a paper, 'On the Variation of Species', which Darwin personally requested to see. This 1835 work catalogues five classes of vertebrates: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Native, introduced and extinct species of the British Isles are included, with binomial and common names given, along with the dimensions and a description. An improvement on previous works which had overly relied on secondary sources, Jenyns's manual also provides information on location, diet and propagation. The catalogue testifies to the diligent work being carried out in natural history in the era prior to Darwin's revolution. Jenyns's Observations in Natural History (1846) and Observations in Meteorology (1858) are also reissued in this series.

Memoirs of Baron Cuvier
  • Sarah Lee
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    08 May 2014
    First published in:
    1833
  • The author and artist Sarah Lee (1791–1856) was a remarkable traveller and scientist in her own right. With her first husband, Thomas Bowdich, she explored the flora, fauna and local culture of the Asante region and Gabon in west Africa. The pair then went in 1819 to Paris, to study zoology under the famous Cuvier, in preparation for another trip to Africa. They financed their stay by translating French scientific books into English, and became close friends of Cuvier himself. Their second expedition proved a disaster, as Thomas Bowdich died in 1824, leaving Sarah alone in Africa with three small children. She made her way back to England, and made her living from scientific translation and her own writings. This biography of her mentor was published in 1833, shortly after his death, and remained the authoritative work in English on the most distinguished scientist of the age.

On the Adaptation of External Nature to the Physical Condition of Man
  • Principally with Reference to the Supply of his Wants and the Exercise of his Intellectual Faculties
  • John Kidd
  • Published online:
    05 December 2014
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
  • Having studied medicine at Guy's Hospital, London, John Kidd (1775–1851) established himself as a physician and educator at Oxford, where he lectured widely on chemistry, anatomy, mineralogy and geology. Regius professor of medicine and a fellow of the Royal Society from 1822, he rooted his scientific understanding and teaching in natural theology. Published in 1833 as the second Bridgewater Treatise, the present work attempted to bring science and religion into harmony, drawing on such disciplines as anthropology and comparative anatomy. Seeking to demonstrate the superiority of humans in the natural world, Kidd argues that animals, minerals and plants had been adapted by God to serve mankind. Founded upon a belief in the antediluvian world and the revealed existence of God in nature, the work exemplifies the influence of natural theology within the scientific establishment before the era of Darwin.

Arctic Zoology
  • Volume 1, Class I. Quadrupeds
  • Thomas Pennant
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    24 April 2014
  • In the 'Advertisement' to this 1784 two-volume work, Thomas Pennant (1726–98), zoologist and traveller, explains that his original intention was to record the zoology of North America 'when the empire of Great Britain was entire'. After the War of Independence, he changed his focus to the zoology (and people, archaeology and geology) of the Arctic regions of America, Europe and Siberia. The content of the volumes, one of the earliest works of systematic zoology published in Britain, is based on the writings of earlier zoologists, information obtained by Pennant from his scientific correspondents all over Europe and America, and his studies in private museums and collections. It is embellished with engravings of animals, birds, landscapes and artefacts. Volume 1 begins with an account of the various Arctic habitats, and describes the quadrupeds of these regions. Other works by Thomas Pennant are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Arctic Zoology
  • Volume 2, Class II. Birds
  • Thomas Pennant
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    24 April 2014
  • In the 'Advertisement' to this 1784 two-volume work, Thomas Pennant (1726–98), zoologist and traveller, explains that his original intention was to record the zoology of North America 'when the empire of Great Britain was entire'. After the War of Independence, he changed his focus to the zoology (and people, archaeology and geology) of the Arctic regions of America, Europe and Siberia. The content of the volumes, one of the earliest works of systematic zoology published in Britain, is based on the writings of earlier zoologists, information obtained by Pennant from his scientific correspondents all over Europe and America, and his studies in private museums and collections. It is embellished with engravings of animals, birds, landscapes and artefacts. Volume 2 deals with land and water birds, including some, such as the passenger pigeon, which are now extinct. Other works by Thomas Pennant are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

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