Naturalists in Paradise

10 April, 2015
Author: John Hemming
Genre: Natural History
Category: New Books

Drawing on the letters and books of three eminent Victorian naturalists, Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Walter Bates and Richard Spruce, Naturalists in Paradise is a worthy addition to the slew of biographies of leading Victorians. Each of these men travelled deep into the Amazon interior making discoveries that would change the world. 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 nineteenth century, to India, where it saved countless lives from malaria. A book that will please both naturalists, adventurers and those keen on the exploits of those on the front line of Victorian discovery.

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