The wonderful Mr Willughby the first true ornithologist
Francis Willughby lived and thrived in the midst of the rapidly accelerating scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. Traveling with his Cambridge tutor John Ray, they decided to overhaul the whole of natural history by imposing order on its messiness and complexity. It was exhilarating, ex...
| Main Author: | Birkhead, Tim (Author) |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London :
Bloomsbury Publishing,
2018.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
Francis Willughby lived and thrived in the midst of the rapidly accelerating scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. Traveling with his Cambridge tutor John Ray, they decided to overhaul the whole of natural history by imposing order on its messiness and complexity. It was exhilarating, exacting, and exhausting work. Yet before their first book, Ornithology, could be completed, Willughby died in 1672. Since then, Ray's reputation has grown, obscuring that of his collaborator. Now, for the first time, Willughby's story and genius are given the attention they deserve. In his too-short life, Francis Willughby helped found the Royal Society, differentiated birds through identification of their distinguishing features, and asked questions that were, in some cases, centuries ahead of their time. |
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| Physical Description: |
xii, 353 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-331) and index. |
| ISBN: |
9781408878484 1408878488 9781408878491 1408878496 |
| Author Notes: |
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