Bright Paradise: Victorian Scientific Travellers

by Peter Raby

This is an account of the great burst of scientific exploration in the 19th the search for the North-West passage; the penetration of the Australian outback; and the hunt for the sources of the Nile, Niger, Amazon and Brahmaputra. There are the individual stories of personalities such as Charles Darwin, ALfred Wallace, Henry Bates and Richard Spruce, but the focal point of the book is how these journeys were linked to wider the growth of knowledge; the spread of Empire; the image of the wild; and the great Victorian questions of the creation, origins and ascent of man.

Genres: Science, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Victorian, Natural History, Nature

276 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 1996

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of my favorite Victorian explorer-scientists were featured in this excellent book, with a few thrown in that I wasn't familiar with for good measure. The main draw for me was Alfred Russel Wallace (who rates an entire chapter), but then there's also Mary Kingsley, Richard Burton, Joseph Hooker, Henry Walter Bates, and a host of others.

Raby does a fine job of describing the boundless energy and insatiable curiosity of these peripatetic Victorians. I confess to being almost hopelessly nostalgic for an age when there was so very much of the globe to be discovered -- when explorers were really venturing into terra incognita. Of course, many of them were more than a bit eccentric and even downright obsessive, but apparently it's what kept some of them going down that river or over the next mountain range. The best of them, such as Kingsley and Wallace, were clear-eyed enough to predict the destructive nature of the inevitable "civilizing" forces that were to follow them.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the adventures of the men and women who traveled in the name of science in the Victorian era. Reading these stories it is astounding to me what they dealt with and persisted through. Violence, disease, loneliness. They were often the only English-speaking people around and many didn't speak native languages. Some fit the stereotypes we have today, shooting animals in the name of science and admiration, treating natives almost as animals. Others were less stereotypical--kind, compassionate, hating slavery, sometimes admiring local culture.

The book would have gotten 5 stars except I found the format sometimes confusing since Raby returns to travelers he's already covered on other of their voyages. I think I would have found chronological looks at individual explorers more readable.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educational, eye-opening and interesting.
Good money was made for those brave enough to live in and explore the New World.
It was a world that had been only recently mapped and colonised but still had the romance of mystery, unknown regions and an unimaginable, diversety of life forms to discover.
Those keen enough to venture deep into little or unknown areas, to catch and preserve almost anything that was once alive, would have collectors back home, eager to pay top dollar for new prizes.
Good money if you survived the hardships of travel back then, or if the collections survived the trip back home.
Explorers and suppliers to the Naturalist collectors, were dedicated people.
I'm glad the collecting fad died out but we gained a lot of knowledge, thanks to those strong-willed, pathfinders and their collections.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by Victorian English explorers. You know that saying: "only mad dogs and Englishmen"...well, it seems to certainly apply to these intrepid souls who risked life and limb in the pursuit of geographical, natural and horticultural knowledge. My favorite segment was about Mary Kingsley, who went to Africa and cllimbed mountains, forded swamps, and fought off alligators, all while still in full women's Victorian attire. Reading about these men and women make you wonder if they are incredibly brave or just plain insane.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victorian naturalists and explorers are fascinations of mine. This book was full of captivating stories about unusual people at a pivotal time. I do recall that it seemed a bit uneven, but the reader can easily pick and choose chapters.

[Woody Debris · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome victorian naturalist history

[Eleanor Lux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down. It is fascinating!