bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Power of Machines
Authors: Banks John
Published: June 2015

From the 1770s onwards, John Banks (1740–1805) taught natural philosophy and gave courses of public lectures across the north west of England. Much of his work aimed to show engineers, mechanics and artisans how they could benefit from expanding their practical and theoretical knowledge. In this 1803 publication, Banks ranges across mechanics, hydraulics and the strength of materials. He considers various designs for important industrial machines, such as watermills, pumps and steam engines, offering calculations of their power. Drawing on his own experiments, as well as those of others, he shows readers how to estimate the strength of wooden and iron beams, and how to calculate the airflow from a pair of bellows. Diverse in its topics, the book sheds light on how rational calculation came to be applied to the machinery of the industrial revolution. Banks' Treatise on Mills (2nd edition, 1815) is also reissued in this series.
Life of Robert Stevenson
Authors: Stevenson David
Published: June 2015

Published in 1878, this biography of the civil engineer Robert Stevenson (1772–1850) was written by his second-youngest son David (1815–86), also a civil engineer and uncle to the author Robert Louis Stevenson. Having already published The Principles and Practice of Canal and River Engineering in 1872 (also reissued in this series), he set about writing this survey of his father's life and works, based on extracts from Robert's professional reports, notes from his diary, and communications to scientific journals and societies between 1798 and 1843. Perhaps most widely known for his practical and persuasive leadership in building many lighthouses for the Northern Lighthouse Board - including that on the notorious Bell Rock, over which he came into conflict with engineer John Rennie regarding the design - Stevenson ensured that the Scottish coastline became a much safer place for shipping for decades to come.
A Treatise on Engineering Field-Work
Authors: Bruff Peter
Published: June 2015

In the 1840s, the civil engineer Peter Bruff (1812–1900) designed what was then the largest brick structure in Britain, the 1,000-foot-long Chappel Viaduct in Essex. He went on to become a railway entrepreneur and developer, and was responsible for the creation of the resort town Clacton-on-Sea, where he also designed many of the buildings. In this illustrated guide, first published in 1838 and here reissued in the revised and expanded two-volume second edition of 1840–2, he discusses the theory and practice of surveying (calculating the accurate position of points in the landscape) and levelling (calculating the accurate height of points). Volume 1 covers surveying; Bruff discusses different methods for calculating bearings and distances, and the equipment required. He explains the various errors to which each method is prone, how to avoid or minimise them, and gives example surveys of land boundaries, parishes and railway lines.
A Treatise on Roads
Authors: Parnell Henry
Published: June 2015

The politician Sir Henry Parnell (1776–1842) was instrumental in drafting legislation to improve the important road linking London with Holyhead in Anglesey, a major port for communication with Dublin. He was aided by the pioneering civil engineer Thomas Telford, and in 1833 Parnell published the first edition of this thorough work on road construction and maintenance. Reissued here is the second edition of 1838. Drawing on his experiences with Telford, who called the work 'the most valuable Treatise which has appeared in England' on the subject, Parnell outlines not only the rules governing the planning of a new road, but also addresses the practical aspects of building and repairing roads, noting the various tools and materials needed. Parnell, later Baron Congleton, also highlights the connection between road construction and national development, and includes a number of appendices relating to contemporary legislation on the subject of roads.
The Natural History of the Order Cetacea
Authors: Dewhurst H. W.
Published: June 2015

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.
Sketch of the Civil Engineering of North America
Authors: Stevenson David
Published: June 2015

A distinguished civil engineer, David Stevenson (1815–86) continued his father's work of designing and building lighthouses around the coast of his native Scotland. His three-month tour of the United States and Canada in 1837 resulted in this highly detailed and unprecedented survey, first published in 1838. Stevenson covers a large number of engineering works, ranging from lighthouses and canals through to roads, bridges and railways. Notably, Stevenson's praise for North America's faster and sleeker steam vessels led British shipbuilders to emulate the models he describes and illustrates in this text. The work remains a historically valuable assessment of the continent's infrastructure at a time of great industrial expansion. Stevenson's The Principles and Practice of Canal and River Engineering, 2nd edition (1872) and his Life of Robert Stevenson (1878), a biography of his father, are also reissued in this series.
Underground Life
Authors: Simonin Louis
Published: June 2015

Born in Marseilles, Louis Simonin (1830–86) became a leading mining engineer of his age. He travelled widely on government and private commissions, particularly around the United States, where he was held in very high esteem. His posthumous renown rests primarily on this substantial work on mining, first published in 1867. The book is divided into three parts, dealing with coal mining, metal mining, and the mining of precious stones. It covers metallurgy and mineralogy, the history of mining, and techniques, methods and equipment. Bringing the struggles of miners to life, and enhanced by numerous illustrations by some of the leading engravers of the day, the book is regarded as having inspired and informed Émile Zola, whose great novel Germinal (1885) depicts coal miners' lives during a strike. Simonin's work reached a wide readership in his native France, and this English translation appeared in 1869.
A Description of Westminster Bridge
Authors: Labelye Charles
Published: June 2015

The construction of the first Westminster Bridge, upon which Wordsworth composed his famous sonnet, presented many challenges in terms of the materials and methods with which a sturdy bridge could be built in tidal water and on a gravelly riverbed. A number of candidates presented their surveys to the commissioners of the bridge, but it was the Swiss-born Charles Labelye (1705–62) who was appointed to oversee construction in 1738. The bridge opened to traffic in 1750. This 1751 publication expands upon the shorter work that Labelye had prepared in 1739 to address the laying of the foundations. Significantly, he used caissons - vast wooden structures sunk into the riverbed - within which the stone piers were built. Although the promised illustrations did not appear in this work, the book provides a valuable insight into the technical problems of a major engineering project, and the solutions available at that time.
An Original Theory or New Hypothesis of the Universe, Founded upon the Laws of Nature
Authors: Wright Thomas
Published: June 2015

Although his yeoman father is said to have burnt his books to discourage excessive studiousness, Thomas Wright (1711–86) nevertheless acquired considerable knowledge in the fields of mathematics, navigation and astronomy. Later benefitting from the patronage of wealthy families, he also surveyed estates, designed gardens, and tutored aristocrats. He is best known, however, for his contribution to astronomy: this illustrated work of 1750 was his most famous publication. Written in the form of nine letters, the book quotes both poets and scientists in the opening discussion as Wright sets out to fuse, rather than separate, science and religion. Combining his observations of the Milky Way with his theological belief in a universe of perfect order, he notes, among other things, that our galaxy appears to be disc-shaped. While largely ignored by contemporary astronomers, Wright's ideas can be seen as a forerunner to more sophisticated conceptions of our galaxy's configuration.
An Account of a Voyage in Search of La Pérouse
Authors: Labillardière Jacques-Julien Houtou de
Published: June 2015

Following the mysterious disappearance of the La Pérouse expedition after it sailed out of Botany Bay in 1788, the French botanist Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (1755–1834) took part in the search that departed in 1791 from Brest in two ships, Recherche and Espérance. In the space of three years, the expedition's naturalists collected numerous specimens, with Labillardière focusing on Australian flora, but their missing countrymen were never found. Notwithstanding the later confiscation of the scientific collections by the British - Sir Joseph Banks helped to secure their return - Labillardière was able to publish this narrative to great acclaim in 1800. Reissued here is the English translation of the same year, complete with a volume of finely engraved plates. The work is especially notable for its descriptions and illustrations of the indigenous peoples of Australasia. This volume of illustrations contains more than forty plates depicting people, artefacts, plants and animals.
Histoire d'un voyage aux isles Malouines, fait en 1763 & 1764
Authors: Pernety Antoine-Joseph
Published: June 2015

A Benedictine scholar and naturalist, Antoine-Joseph Pernety (1716–96) produced this early and invaluable description of the natural history of the Falkland Islands (or isles Malouines). He had arrived there as part of the 1763–4 expedition led by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, claiming the islands for France. A small colony was established, allowing Pernety to provide an account of an ecosystem as yet unaffected by a human population. He spent some months studying the landscape, flora, fauna and climate, and his observations and drawings were published in these two volumes in 1770 (a one-volume English translation of 1771 is also reissued in this series). Additional material from other voyages, to Patagonia and the Straits of Magellan, provides information on contact with indigenous peoples in South America. Volume 1 discusses the inspiration behind the 1763–4 expedition, detailing the journey itself before continuing to an in-depth study of the natural history of the Falklands.
Histoire d'un voyage aux isles Malouines, fait en 1763 & 1764
Authors: Pernety Antoine-Joseph
Published: June 2015

A Benedictine scholar and naturalist, Antoine-Joseph Pernety (1716–96) produced this early and invaluable description of the natural history of the Falkland Islands (or isles Malouines). He had arrived there as part of the 1763–4 expedition led by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, claiming the islands for France. A small colony was established, allowing Pernety to provide an account of an ecosystem as yet unaffected by a human population. He spent some months studying the landscape, flora, fauna and climate, and his observations and drawings were published in these two volumes in 1770 (a one-volume English translation of 1771 is also reissued in this series). Additional material from other voyages, to Patagonia and the Straits of Magellan, provides information on contact with indigenous peoples in South America. Volume 2 includes this material from other authors. A series of detailed maps and drawings conclude the volume.
A Voyage round the World, in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV
Authors: Anson George
Published: June 2015

Compiled by the naval chaplain Richard Walter (1717–85), though the extent of his editorial contribution is not certain, this 1748 publication documents the extraordinary circumnavigation accomplished by the British naval officer George Anson (1697–1762) between 1740 and 1744. During the Anglo-Spanish conflict which Thomas Carlyle later described as the War of Jenkins' Ear, Anson was chosen to command a squadron to raid and plunder the Pacific coast of South America. After a delayed departure, the expedition struggled with terrible weather, rough seas and outbreaks of scurvy as it rounded Cape Horn. Hundreds of men were lost and eventually only the warship Centurion remained, badly battered and undermanned. Despite the disaster, the expedition became famous for its capture in 1743 of a Spanish treasure galleon laden with silver. Anson won much acclaim for this feat, and he entered into politics. This account, meanwhile, became a bestseller.
Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English
Authors: Wright Thomas
Published: June 2015

Thomas Wright (1810–77), a respected folklorist and medievalist, wrote prolifically on a wide range of subjects. His work is, however, considered broad rather than deep, and his extensive output, while impressive, sometimes came at the expense of quality. Wright was involved in many academic societies, and co-founded the British Archaeological Association in 1843. Much of his work promoted the use of vernacular literature for research into the Middle Ages, and this dictionary, first published in 1857, was compiled to help readers of historical literature navigate unfamiliar vocabulary. It lists obsolete words and phrases, with particular emphasis on those of Old English and Anglo-Norman origin, and obscure or dialectal words. Many of the definitions include illustrative examples or quotes as well as etymologies. Examples include belly-timber, meaning 'food', and dweezle, a Northamptonshire word that means 'to dwindle away'. Volume 1 covers the letters A–F.
Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English
Authors: Wright Thomas
Published: June 2015

Thomas Wright (1810–77), a respected folklorist and medievalist, wrote prolifically on a wide range of subjects. His work is, however, considered broad rather than deep, and his extensive output, while impressive, sometimes came at the expense of quality. Wright was involved in many academic societies, and co-founded the British Archaeological Association in 1843. Much of his work promoted the use of vernacular literature for research into the Middle Ages, and this dictionary, first published in 1857, was compiled to help readers of historical literature navigate unfamiliar vocabulary. It lists obsolete words and phrases, with particular emphasis on those of Old English and Anglo-Norman origin, and obscure or dialectal words. Many of the definitions include illustrative examples or quotes as well as etymologies. Examples include belly-timber, meaning 'food', and dweezle, a Northamptonshire word that means 'to dwindle away'. Volume 2 covers the letters G–Z.
Operations Carried On at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837
Authors: Vyse Howard
Published: June 2015

An army officer and politician, Richard William Howard Vyse (1784–53) also made his mark as an Egyptologist. This three-volume work, published in 1840–2, has remained an instructive resource in Egyptology up to the present day. Adopting the style of a journal, with illustrations and diagrams throughout, it narrates in detail his excavations at Giza, surveying and measuring the pyramids. Following Vyse's return to England, the work was continued by the engineer and surveyor John Shae Perring (1813–69). Vyse gives observations of his travels, and of the landscape, people and architecture he encountered, as well as details of the important work he carried out. Most notable was his discovery, using gunpowder, of four new chambers in the Great Pyramid containing 'quarry marks' - graffiti by the pyramid builders. Volume 3 (1842) describes the work continued by Perring on various pyramids, and on the mummy pits at Saqqara.
A Treatise on Hannibal's Passage of the Alps
Authors: Ellis Robert
Published: June 2015

The controversy over the route taken by Hannibal, the Carthaginian army and his famous elephants in their crossing of the Alps to attack Rome in 218 BCE began within fifty years of the event and has continued for many centuries. A particular scholarly dispute emerged in the 1850s between Robert Ellis (1819/20–85) and William John Law (1786–1869), and was fought in the pages of the Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology and in books. Ellis, a classical scholar, had surveyed the Alpine passes in 1852 and again in 1853, when he published this work, claiming that the Little Mount Cenis route was the one used. Law responded immediately in the Journal, and later published his own theory, to which Ellis riposted in 1867 with An Enquiry into the Ancient Routes between Italy and Gaul, also reissued in this series. Modern scholarship doubts, however, that either man was right.
Letters from India
Authors: Eden Emily
Published: June 2015

Emily Eden's childhood prepared her well for her role as companion to her brother, the Governor-General of India. Outwardly all that a minor aristocrat should be, the observant and sharp-tongued Eden (1797–1869) never censored her letters for the sake of diplomacy. This two-volume collection of letters, edited by her niece Eleanor Eden, was published posthumously in 1872 after the success of her 1866 collection, Up the Country (also reissued in this series). In Volume 2, which also contains several letters from Emily's sister Frances (1801–49), the round of engagements, days in an opulent houseboat, and biting observations on Anglo-Indian society, continue, but the generally cheerful tone begins to darken: 'It is very odd that no letters whatever have come from Cabul for three weeks, but the reports are all favourable' she notes, at the outset of the disastrous Anglo-Afghan War, which led to her brother's dismissal from India.
A Description of the Country from Thirty to Forty Miles round Manchester
Authors: Aikin John
Published: June 2015

The late eighteenth century saw Manchester and its surrounding areas undergo significant change as industrialisation fuelled urbanisation and population growth. In this classic 1795 account, the physician and prolific writer John Aikin (1747–1822) gathers together information on the settlements at the heart of manufacturing and trade in north-west England, covering the vital network of waterways as well as the surrounding countryside. Revealing the fundamental importance of the textile industry, this survey provides a detailed portrait of an evolving region and its human geography. It is complemented by a number of illustrations, including maps, plans, and engravings of notable landmarks. Referred to by Karl Marx in his writings, the book remains a historically valuable resource. Also reissued in this series is Aikin's Biographical Memoirs of Medicine in Great Britain from the Revival of Literature to the Time of Harvey (1780).
Planting and Rural Ornament
Authors: Marshall William
Published: June 2015

William Marshall (1745–1818), an experienced farmer and land agent, published this work in 1795, and early in 1796 produced a second edition (reissued here), 'with large additions'. The two-volume work was intended as a practical guide for the owners or managers of large estates on how to establish and maintain timber plantations, both for their financial value and also as important decorative elements in the landscaping of the surroundings of the owner's house. The work covers the practical issues of planting, propagating and transplanting, and discusses the choice of trees for different commercial purposes, and the planning and maintenance of hedgerows, as well as ornamental buildings. Volume 1 includes a review of the writings on landscape by such figures as Horace Walpole, (one of whose essays is reproduced), giving insights into the economic as well as the aesthetic aspects of landscape gardening in its golden age.
Biographical Memoirs of Medicine in Great Britain
Authors: Aikin John
Published: June 2015

In this absorbing work of medical history, the physician and writer John Aikin (1747–1822) brings together biographical information on a selection of Britain's early medics, shedding light on the lives, works and quirks of more than fifty medical writers, surgeons and physicians between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries. Outlining the roles played by major figures in the great medical advances that marked this period, the book was first published in 1780, prior to Aikin's move to Great Yarmouth in 1784 to practise medicine. However, his political beliefs and dissenting views regarding the Church of England contributed to his unpopularity in the area, prompting his move to London and greater literary freedom. Over the years, he produced a broad range of published works, including his historically valuable Description of the Country from Thirty to Forty Miles Round Manchester (1795), which is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.
The Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland
Authors: Bateman John
Published: June 2015

First published in 1876, and reissued here in the 1878 edition that covered the entire British Isles, this important work utilised and corrected the 1873 Return of Owners of Land (known as the 'Modern Domesday Book'), the first post-Norman survey of British landholdings. John Bateman (1839–1910), a landowner himself recorded here, sought to amend numerous and significant errors in the Return, increasing its usability by grouping listings by owner rather than location. He further enhanced the record by giving many college and club affiliations - indicative of religious and political alignments. An analysis chapter overviews the distribution of holdings and highlights both lucrative and low-yielding estates. Bateman's apparent hope of justifying the existing landowning system in the British Isles was undermined by data which revealed the concentration of land in aristocratic hands, yet the work provides historians with a valuable snapshot of this system in its Victorian heyday.
London Parks and Gardens
Authors: Amherst Alicia
Published: June 2015

Brought up among the extensive grounds of her family home at Didlington Hall in Norfolk, Alicia Amherst (1865–1941) was a keen gardener from an early age. Especially interested in socially beneficial gardening, she sat on the board of the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1900, encouraged the growing of smoke-resistant flowers in poor urban areas, and promoted the greater use of allotments and school gardens during the First World War. Long regarded as a significant work for its thorough yet accessible approach, this well-researched historical and horticultural survey first appeared in 1907 under her married name of the Honourable Mrs Evelyn Cecil. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it covers London's royal and other parks as well as less obvious green spaces such as squares, burial grounds, and Inns of Court. A map and plant lists are also included. Amherst's History of Gardening in England (1895) is also reissued in this series.
My Recollections of Lord Byron
Authors: Guiccioli Teresa
Published: June 2015

This two-volume work was originally published in French, and anonymously, in 1868. In 1869, Richard Bentley published an English translation by Hubert E. H. Jerningham, in which he stated that the work 'is the production of the celebrated Countess Guiccioli'. Teresa Guiccioli (1800–73) was nineteen, and married to a much older man, when she first met Byron in Venice. Their subsequent love affair lasted until Byron left for Greece, together with her brother Pietro Gamba, whose account of Byron's last days is also reissued in this series. Anxious to restore Byron's reputation, which she believed to be tainted by a conflation in the public mind between the poet and his more notorious characters, she attempts to refute some of the more scandalous assertions about his life. Volume 1 covers such topics as Byron's childhood, his 'benevolence and kindness', and the 'qualities of his heart and soul'.
Practical Hints to Young Females
Authors: Taylor Ann
Published: June 2015

Displaying her intellectual and literary abilities from a young age, 'Mrs Taylor of Ongar' (1757–1830) enjoyed writing all her life. She had eleven children, of whom six (four of them writers) survived to adulthood. Her published works began with advice books for her own daughters, produced when increasing deafness made ordinary conversation difficult for her. Given the difficulty of providing advice equally appropriate to girls at all levels of society, this 1815 work is addressed to 'females in the middle ranks'. It is assumed that a girl's aspiration, as well as her destiny, is to be a wife and mother: conduct towards the husband, and the rearing of children, are of prime importance. But there is also a chapter for the husband, pointing out his reciprocal duties to his wife as an equal partner in their relationship. The book offers fascinating insights into the middle-class ideal of domestic happiness.
The Family Pen
Authors: Taylor Isaac
Published: June 2015

Isaac Taylor (1787–1865) was known as Isaac Taylor of Stanford Rivers, to distinguish him from his father, Isaac Taylor of Ongar, engraver and dissenting minister. He, his brother Jefferys, and their sisters Ann and Jane, were all writers, and their mother was the well-known 'Mrs Taylor of Ongar', some of whose books are also reissued in this series. The younger Isaac felt drawn to the Church of England, and made a name for himself with studies of the Church Fathers and the classics (he is said to have coined the word 'patristic'). This two-volume collection of writings by three generations of the Taylor family was compiled and published in 1867 by the Isaac Taylor of the next generation. Volume 2 contains essays and verses by the four siblings, their father Isaac, and a cousin, Jemima, of which the most notable is the long short story 'Display' by Jane Taylor.
The Animal-Lore of Shakespeare's Time
Authors: Phipson Emma
Published: June 2015

Shakespeare's plays contain a rich abundance of metaphors, similes and phrases relating to animals and the natural world, much of which can seem obscure to us today. First published in 1883, Emma Phipson's classic study sets in context the animal lore of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to show how it affected the literature of the time. Drawing on a collection of compelling sources, this book explores the beliefs about natural science that influenced the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Phipson considers obscure writings by naturalists and antiquarians on a wide range of animals from the familiar to the exotic, and from the real to the mythical. Whether discussing hedgehogs or unicorns, the text shows how the Elizabethans' understanding of animals was coloured by hunting, travel, folklore and the Bible, and how this had a lasting impact upon language and culture.
Observations on the Inhabitants, Climate, Soil, Rivers, Productions, Animals, and Other Matters Worthy of Notice
Authors: Bartram John
Published: June 2015

The botanist and explorer John Bartram (1699–1777) is regarded as having created the first true botanical collection in North America. Alongside Benjamin Franklin, he was also in 1743 a founding member of the American Philosophical Society. In the summer of the same year, he set out from Philadelphia on an expedition through Iroquois lands. Published in London in 1751 through the efforts of Bartram's correspondent and fellow botanist Peter Collinson, this short work chronicles the six-week journey, offering an important early insight into the region's ecology. As well as providing observations on flora, fauna and geography, Bartram includes insightful descriptions of the activities of the Native American population. The expedition members were able to travel further than was previously possible owing to the participation of the agent and interpreter Conrad Weiser, who had earned the respect of the Iroquois. The work concludes with a brief description of Niagara Falls by the naturalist Peter Kalm.
Life of Sir John Lubbock, Lord Avebury
Authors: Hutchinson Horace G.
Published: June 2015

The achievements of the polymath Sir John Lubbock (1834–1913) spanned banking, politics, science and philanthropy. First published in 1914, this two-volume biography by Horace G. Hutchinson (1859–1932) traces Lubbock's extraordinary life and career. Hutchinson, who knew his subject in later years, paints a highly favourable portrait of Lubbock's varied accomplishments. Notably, Lubbock became a partner of his father's bank at twenty-two, a Member of Parliament in 1870, and in 1900 received the title of Baron Avebury. Tutored in natural history by Charles Darwin in his youth, he remained fascinated by evolutionary theory: it influenced his archaeological and anthropological work, including Pre-Historic Times as Illustrated by Ancient Remains (1865) and The Origin of Civilisation and the Primitive Condition of Man (1870), both reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Volume 2 focuses on Lubbock's later life, with Hutchinson remarking that by seventy Lubbock was still politically active and in good health.
The Bibliographical Decameron
Authors: Dibdin Thomas Frognall
Published: June 2015

Bibliomania, the almost obsessive collecting of rare books and early editions by the aristocracy, which peaked in 1812 with the sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, was fuelled in no small part by the work of the bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776–1847). His most famous book, Bibliomania, popularised the word's use in England. The present work was first published in three volumes in 1817 and may be considered a continuation of Bibliomania in both style and content. Using a dialogue format with extensive footnotes, it covers all aspects of bibliography from early illuminated manuscripts and printed books through to contemporary book collectors and auctions. The work is notable for the number and quality of its illustrations. Volume 3 presents accounts of book collectors and auctions since 1811, and bibliographical and general indexes to the whole work. Dibdin's Bibliomania (revised edition, 1811) and his Reminiscences of a Literary Life (1836) are also reissued in this series.
A Naturalist's Calendar
Authors: White Gilbert
Published: June 2015

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.
Ladies' Botany
Authors: Lindley John
Published: June 2015

The horticulturalist John Lindley (1799–1865) worked for Sir Joseph Banks, and was later instrumental in saving the Royal Horticultural Society from financial disaster. He was a prolific author of works for gardening practitioners but also for a non-specialist readership, and many of his books have been reissued in this series. The first volume of this two-volume work was published in 1834, and the second in 1837. At a time when botany was regarded as the only science suitable for study by women and girls, Lindley felt that there was a lack of books for 'those who would become acquainted with Botany as an amusement and a relaxation', and attempted to meet this need. The first volume, in the form of engaging letters to a lady, was originally intended to stand alone. Illustrated with detailed botanical drawings, it schools the student in botanical form and taxonomy as well as nomenclature.
Ladies' Botany
Authors: Lindley John
Published: June 2015

The horticulturalist John Lindley (1799–1865) worked for Sir Joseph Banks, and was later instrumental in saving the Royal Horticultural Society from financial disaster. He was a prolific author of works for gardening practitioners but also for a non-specialist readership, and many of his books have been reissued in this series. The first volume of this two-volume work was published in 1834, and the second in 1837. At a time when botany was regarded as the only science suitable for study by women and girls, Lindley felt that there was a lack of books for 'those who would become acquainted with Botany as an amusement and a relaxation', and attempted to meet this need. In the second volume of 'this little work', Lindley continues to introduce new 'tribes' of plants, including exotica such as mangoes and Venus fly traps, to his lady correspondent and her children.
Elements of Botany
Authors: Lindley John
Published: June 2015

Employed early in his career by Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist John Lindley (1799–1865) is best known for his recommendation that Kew Gardens should become a national botanical institution, and for saving the Royal Horticultural Society from financial disaster. As an author, he is best remembered for his works on taxonomy and classification. A partisan of the 'natural' system rather than the Linnaean, Lindley published this 1841 work, the fourth edition of his Outline of the First Principles of Botany, under a new title to emphasise not only that it was 'much extended, and, it is hoped, improved', but also that it was a textbook for students of 'structural, physiological, systematical, and medical' botany. He defines the different elements of a plant, and provides a checklist for identification of plant families, before discussing the various 'natural' systems of classification, including his own, and the different practical uses of plants.
More Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden
Authors: Earle Maria Theresa Villiers
Published: June 2015

Mrs C. W. Earle (1836–1925) was born into the minor aristocracy as Maria Theresa Villiers. After training as an artist, she married Captain C. W. Earle, who inherited family property which enabled a comfortable lifestyle with a town house in London and a small property with a large garden in Surrey. Earle's designs for her garden were much admired by her artistic and literary circle, and she was encouraged to write down her gardening advice. This work, published in 1899, followed on from the success of her Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden (1897). It contains a similar collection of writings on gardening, cookery, travel and art, in chapters which follow the horticultural year from September to August. An introductory section describes with verve and good humour the critical reception of Earle's earlier book, and her reasons for writing another.
A Synopsis of the British Flora
Authors: Lindley John
Published: June 2015

The botanist and horticulturalist John Lindley (1799–1865) worked for Sir Joseph Banks, and was later instrumental in saving the Royal Horticultural Society from financial disaster. He was a prolific author of works for gardening practitioners but also for a non-specialist readership, and many of his books have been reissued in this series. This 1829 work is a classification of British plants using the 'natural' system of the French botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, which Lindley firmly supported, believing that the Linnaean system was both inaccurate and had 'almost disappeared from every country but our own'. Lindley describes genera and species in English, but using a uniform, standard vocabulary, and gives the alternative Latin names proposed by taxonomists including Smith, Curtis, Linnaeus, and the Hortus Kewensis. He also offers tables showing the components of each genus, and substantial indexes giving both Latin and English common names of the plants discussed.
The Naturalist's and Traveller's Companion
Authors: Lettsom John Coakley
Published: June 2015

First published in 1772 and reissued here in its 1799 third edition, this work was intended to provide the traveller with advice on collecting and preserving scientific specimens, and on pursuing intellectual investigations. John Coakley Lettsom (1744–1815) was a physician and philanthropist, and on inheriting his family plantation in 1767, his first action was to free all its slaves. He practised medicine in the West Indies and in London, and wrote on topics which he felt would benefit society. This book is divided into two parts, the first describing methods of forming collections of insects, birds and animals, seeds and plants, and minerals. The second part suggests the sorts of questions and enquiries the traveller should ask about the writings, culture, religion, history and natural history of the lands he is visiting. This offers a fascinating insight into the approach and expectations of the educated traveller in the eighteenth century.
Student and Singer
Authors: Santley Charles
Published: June 2015

Sir Charles Santley (1834–1922), the English baritone whose career spanned more than fifty years, embracing both the operatic and concert stages, ranked among the foremost singers of his generation. After studying in Italy, he returned to England, where he was soon in great demand on the concert platform and in operatic roles, singing with the Pyne-Harrison, Mapleson and Carl Rosa opera companies, the Sacred Harmonic Society, the Philharmonic Society, and at the major English music festivals. His name is linked inseparably with the lavish Handel festivals at the Crystal Palace, and with the prophet in Mendelssohn's great oratorio Elijah. Santley's memoirs, first published in 1892 and reissued here in the third edition of that year, concentrate almost exclusively on his operatic career (a further volume on his concert experiences had been planned). His genial and informative anecdotes underpin the overriding message that hard work and perseverance win the day.
Little Arthur's History of England
Authors: Callcott Maria
Published: June 2015

This children's history of England by Maria Callcott (1785–1842) was written as though she were telling a series of stories to a young boy known as 'Little Arthur'. Having travelled widely during her first marriage, publishing accounts under the name Maria Graham, she had become an invalid by 1831 owing to a burst blood vessel. Nevertheless, she continued her literary activity and became best known for this highly popular work. The first edition, published by John Murray in two volumes in 1835, is reissued here in a single volume. In the course of the century after its appearance, the book went through seventy editions and sold some 80,000 copies. Its success stemmed partly from its romantic and patriotic depiction of the protagonists of English history. Also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection are Callcott's travel journals describing her time in India, Brazil and Chile.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Authors: Gibbon Edward
Published: June 2015

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737–94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861–1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 4 focuses on the fifth and sixth centuries CE, examining the Vandal sack of Rome and the fall of the Western Empire, the conversion of barbarians to Christianity, the Saxon conquest of Britain, and the wars of the Goths and the Vandals.
The Nautical Magazine for 1874
Authors: Various authors
Published: June 2015

The Nautical Magazine first appeared in 1832, and was published monthly well into the twenty-first century. It covers a wide range of subjects, including navigation, meteorology, technology and safety. An important resource for maritime historians, it also includes reports on military and scientific expeditions and on current affairs. The 1874 volume continues the previous year's attacks on attempts by Samuel Plimsoll to introduce seaworthiness inspections and other safety regulations, arguing for 'individual responsibility' rather than 'maternal interference by the State in the business concerns of daily life'. In addition to covering these debates, this volume concludes the series of articles on 'great ports' and begins one on 'our colonies'. It also contains the latest statistics on shipbuilding, substantial updates on steam technology, notes on a fascinating selection of court cases, and a song claimed to be highly effective in teaching trainee seamen the 'rule of the road at sea'.
The Nautical Magazine for 1876
Authors: Various authors
Published: June 2015

The Nautical Magazine first appeared in 1832, and was published monthly well into the twenty-first century. It covers a wide range of subjects, including navigation, meteorology, technology and safety. An important resource for maritime historians, it also includes reports on military and scientific expeditions and on current affairs. The exceptionally long volume for 1876 devotes much space to the Merchant Shipping Act of that year, and to other legal matters including the recent history of legislation relating to merchant ships, rules for the loading of cargos, and the prevention of collisions at sea. It contains statistics on the year's shipbuilding activity, details of the fleets of several Atlantic shipping lines, and discussion of the recruitment, health and pensions of sailors. Other topics covered include the Suez Canal, Nares' Arctic expedition, the exhibition of scientific apparatus in Kensington, proposals for a Channel tunnel and railway, and solar steam generation.
A Monograph of the Crag Mollusca
Authors: Wood Searles V.
Published: June 2015

The Pliocene-Pleistocene Crags of East Anglia are an incredibly rich source of fossil shells, many belonging to extant Boreal and Mediterranean genera. Dominated by marine gastropods and bivalves, the deposits also contain evidence of terrestrial and non-marine gastropods and bivalves, brachiopods, and extensive epifauna including bryozoans. Published between 1848 and 1879 in four volumes, the latter two being supplements with further descriptions and geological notes, this monograph by Searles Valentine Wood (1798–1880) covers more than 650 species and varieties of fossil mollusc. For each species Wood gives a synonymy, diagnosis (in Latin), full description, dimensions, occurrence and remarks. The supplements also provide a breakdown of the species and their current distribution. The detailed plates were prepared by the conchologist George Brettingham Sowerby and his namesake son. Volume 1 (1848) covers gastropods and scaphopods, illustrated in 21 plates.
A Monograph of the Crag Mollusca
Authors: Wood Searles V.
Published: June 2015

The Pliocene-Pleistocene Crags of East Anglia are an incredibly rich source of fossil shells, many belonging to extant Boreal and Mediterranean genera. Dominated by marine gastropods and bivalves, the deposits also contain evidence of terrestrial and non-marine gastropods and bivalves, brachiopods, and extensive epifauna including bryozoans. Published between 1848 and 1879 in four volumes, the latter two being supplements with further descriptions and geological notes, this monograph by Searles Valentine Wood (1798–1880) covers more than 650 species and varieties of fossil mollusc. For each species Wood gives a synonymy, diagnosis (in Latin), full description, dimensions, occurrence and remarks. The supplements also provide a breakdown of the species and their current distribution. The detailed plates were prepared by the conchologist George Brettingham Sowerby and his namesake son. Volume 3 (1872–4) comprises the first supplement, covering univalves and bivalves, and includes an important map of the Crag district.
A Monograph of the Eocene Mollusca of England
Authors: Edwards Frederic E. , Wood Searles V.
Published: June 2015

The Eocene sediments of the London and Hampshire basins in southern England are rich in fossil invertebrates, plants and vertebrates; in particular, they yield a great diversity of often well-preserved fossil mollusc shells. Seeking to provide a methodical treatment of known specimens, Frederick E. Edwards (1799–1875) and Searles V. Wood (1798–1880) had divided the workload of describing the Mollusca found in the English Tertiary formations, with Edwards taking the older formations and Wood the newer. When Edwards became ill, however, Wood took on the Eocene bivalves, yet he was unable to add much to the treatment of cephalopods and gastropods. Featuring detailed illustrations, the two volumes provide for each species a synonymy, diagnosis (in Latin), full description, dimensions, occurrence, and well-informed remarks. Volume 1 comprises the Monograph of the Eocene Cephalopoda and Univalves of England, originally published in several parts between 1849 and 1877.
An Essay towards a Natural History of the Earth
Authors: Woodward John
Published: June 2015

For the physician and natural historian John Woodward (c.1655–1728), fossils were the key to unlocking the mystery of the Earth's past, which he attempted to do in this controversial work, first published in 1695 and here reissued in the 1723 third edition. Woodward argues that the 'whole Terrestrial Globe was taken all to Pieces, and dissolved at the Deluge', and that fossilised remains were proof of the flood as described in the Bible. In the first part of the work, Woodward examines other theories of the Earth's history before presenting evidence - much of it based on his own fossil collection - in support of his theory. The work immediately prompted heated debate among his scientific contemporaries. Despite the controversy, Woodward was acknowledged as an expert on fossil classification, cementing this reputation with his influential Fossils of All Kinds (1728), which is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.
The Lausiac History of Palladius
Authors: Palladius
Published: June 2015

The church historian and Benedictine monk Cuthbert Butler (1858–1934) was known for his expertise on the monastic life and wrote several books on the subject, including Benedictine Monachism (1919) and Western Mysticism (1922). Previously he had produced this two-volume edition of Palladius of Galatia's Lausiac History. Written in the early fifth century, it records the lives of the Egyptian 'Desert Fathers' and is an important source for early monasticism. Volume 2 (1904) contains Butler's edition of the Greek text, supported by an extensive critical apparatus. Butler's substantial introduction first surveys the various Greek manuscripts and earlier editions of the text, before outlining the method he adopted in editing the work. His text is supported by detailed critical and historical notes. The volume also includes a reassessment of the chronology of Palladius' life and helpful supporting material in the form of a map and chronological table.