The Heyday of Natural History, 1820-1870

I saw this book referenced in the bibliography of another book on Victorian science. I decided to try it; especially after reading Vandervalk's review. While I expected to enjoy the information presented; an added bonus was the very entertaining writing style of the author. If you are a fan of Victorian science, you should get this book.

If there is a book that should be back in print, and should be available in every Natural History Museum, Aquarium, and Zoo gift shop, it is this one. I have searched in vain in such places for a book as relevant and interesting as this, full of fascinating historical facts yet low on political agenda, and was very fortunate to find this gem in my local library. I am a big fan of Natural History museums, especially older ones, and always wondered how they came to be, and why the term "natural history" was used for them, as opposed to "life science" or something similar. This delightful book traces the growth of science through the Victorian Era - how it started as a fashionable pastime intended to edify the wealthier classes and enrich their spiritual lives, became a huge obsession of rich and poor alike, and wound down toward the end of the century once the controversy over The Origin of Species dampened popular enthusiasm. The topics covered include the social and scientific background, beliefs about nature, the popular explosion, the origins of fern cases and home aquariums, the race to classify and name the species of the world, the origins of museums, and some highly entertaining biographical sections on the big scientific names of the time, such as John James Audubon, Charles Waterton, Francis Buckland, Charles Willson Peale, Richard Owen, Philip Henry Gosse, and of course, Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley. This book is impressively researched and very thorough, yet written in a highly readable and occasionally humorous style which reflects the author's background as a journalist rather than a scientist. It is heavily illustrated with Victorian woodcuts and engravings of all kinds, as well as portraits of the personalities she discusses, in addition to several pages of color plates. My only complaint is that toward the end of the book, the author seems to lose her objectivity as she enters the discussion of the "religion versus evolution" controversy. Several of her declarations are somewhat loaded, such as that Darwin closed "all the gaps," and that The Origin "demolished all the cosy tenets of natural theology that had sustained religion and science in harmony." She also states that "the Design argument was now completely exploded." Also, as far as objections to Darwinism, the only ones she introduces are the "missing link" issue (which she dismisses with references to Archaeopteryx, Eohippus, and Java Man) and the tendency of variations to disappear after several generations as species "revert to type." She explains this away as an issue that was resolved by Mendel's discoveries in genetics, when in reality, the facts of genetics actually bring more challenges to Darwin's ideas than proofs. However, despite my opinion about these matters, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned very much, and it sparked in me such an interest in the subject that I was finally motivated to read The Origin. Despite being publ