Frank Buckland was an extraordinary man - surgeon, natural historian, popular lecturer, bestselling writer, museum curator, and a conservationist before the concept even existed. Eccentric, revolutionary, prolific, he was one of the nineteenth century's most improbable geniuses. His lifelong passion was to discover new ways to feed the hungry. Rhinoceros, crocodile, puppy-dog, giraffe, kangaroo, bear and panther all had their chance to impress, but...

"Biophilia-the love of life-encompasses the drive to survive, a sense of kinship with all life-forms, and an instinct for beauty. In this unconventional book, Kay Harel uses biophilia as a lens to explore Charles Darwin's life and thought in deeply original ways. In a set of interrelated essays, she considers how the love of life enabled him to see otherwise unseen evolutionary truths. Harel traces the influence of biophilia on Darwin's views of dogs,...

"In 1772, Mark Catesby stepped ashore in Charleston in the Carolina colony. Over the next four years, this young naturalist made history as he explored deep into America's natural wonders, collecting and drawing plants and animals which had never been seen back in the Old World. Nine years later, Catesby produced his magnificent and groundbreaking book, The Natural History of Carolina, the first-ever illustrated account of American flora and fauna....

"Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was perhaps the most famous naturalist in the world by the end of his life-- explorer extraordinaire, co-discoverer with Darwin of the principle of natural selection, collector of thousands of species new to science, and best-selling author. Wallace had fallen into obscurity in the 20th century, largely eclipsed by Darwin, but the 2013 centennial of his death led to renewed interest and Wallace is likely to garner...