Naturalists in paradise
Subtitle: Wallace, Bates and Spruce in the Amazon
By: John Hemming
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 368
ISBN-13: 9780500252109
Subjects: History; Description and travel; Scientific expeditions; Travel; Indians of South America; Natural history; Naturalists; Biography; Discovery and exploration
Description: Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Walter Bates and Richard Spruce were English naturalists who went to Amazonia 150 years ago. In addition to their huge contributions to knowledge of the Amazonian environment, each is particularly famous for one discovery. Wallace is acknowledged as a co-discoverer, along with Charles Darwin, of the theory of evolution. Bates discovered protective mimicry among insects, a phenomenon named after him. Spruce transported the quinine-bearing Cinchona tree, the most important medicinal plant of the 19th century, to India, where it saved countless lives from malaria. This book combines all three young men's experiences of the Amazon, drawing heavily on their own letters and books.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 342-362) and index.
Table of contents: title: A naturalist's paradise; title: Antecedents; title: Enterprising young men; title: The mouth of the Amazon; title: Into Amazonia; title: Manaus; title: Wallace on the Rio Negro; title: Into the unknown; title: Calamities; title: Bates on the Amazon; title: Spruce climbs to the Andes; title: Later lives : the Amazonian legacy; title: Timeline.