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发现之旅:历史上最伟大的十次自然探险
蒐集伦敦自然史博物馆300余帧精美的珍藏画作，历史上十次奇妙探险视觉上一场饕餮盛宴。以令人心醉的图片与文字，映现史上十次最壮阔的探索自然之旅。本书收录了大量的自然素描画作,其中有许多甚至是第一次面世。这些画作出自17世纪以降许多自然史学者兼艺术家之手,这是他们当时用来记录发现物种的方式。
327 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 9, 2019
This is another one of the books I grabbed when I was in London's Natural History Museum and though it's quite heavy and not exactly small, I don't regret it in the slightest.
In 10 chapters it tells of journeys around the world that became significant to the scientific community.
We thus go to Jamaica, Ceylon, Surinam (this one was especially interesting because the journey was undertaken by a woman), cross the Pacific with James Cook, return to the South Sea with him in the following chapter, chart Australia, sail on board the Beagle, accompany Alfred Russel Wallace to Amazonie and experience the Challenger Expedition to the depths of the ocean - exploring about 3 centuries of natural history (from the 1600s to the late 1800s).
The book is interspersed with the respective naturalist's sketches, drawings and paintings or, in case of the more recent voyages, some photographs even.
I preferred the chapters about the really old expeditions and thus also the artwork from way back when, but it was an interesting look at the progression of the field and the travels themselves. It also illustrates the progression of technology helping with exploring our world.
The writing style was not as captivating as in other books, sadly, but the topic itself was interesting enough to still make me read through this. And I have to admit that the most important part was the scientists and to see their way of cataloging plants and animals and drawing conclusions from their observations - to say nothing of all of them having apparently been quite talented artists.
In 10 chapters it tells of journeys around the world that became significant to the scientific community.
We thus go to Jamaica, Ceylon, Surinam (this one was especially interesting because the journey was undertaken by a woman), cross the Pacific with James Cook, return to the South Sea with him in the following chapter, chart Australia, sail on board the Beagle, accompany Alfred Russel Wallace to Amazonie and experience the Challenger Expedition to the depths of the ocean - exploring about 3 centuries of natural history (from the 1600s to the late 1800s).
The book is interspersed with the respective naturalist's sketches, drawings and paintings or, in case of the more recent voyages, some photographs even.
I preferred the chapters about the really old expeditions and thus also the artwork from way back when, but it was an interesting look at the progression of the field and the travels themselves. It also illustrates the progression of technology helping with exploring our world.
The writing style was not as captivating as in other books, sadly, but the topic itself was interesting enough to still make me read through this. And I have to admit that the most important part was the scientists and to see their way of cataloging plants and animals and drawing conclusions from their observations - to say nothing of all of them having apparently been quite talented artists.
July 22, 2019
Brief overviews of (mostly british) exploring with large format drawings of beautiful plants and some animals and maps. Subtitle says it all:" a visual celebration of ten of the greatest natural history expeditions" has some William Bartram in se USA area, Hans Sloane in Jamaica, Maria sibylla merian in Surinam etc.
Has a selected biographies, brief bibliography, brief index. All pictures mostly from libraries of natural history museum London
Has a selected biographies, brief bibliography, brief index. All pictures mostly from libraries of natural history museum London
April 16, 2024
Can't go wrong with a collection of old natural history illustrations. This one sampled Sir Hans Sloane and his Jamaica collection; Paul Hermann, Johan Gideon Loten and Pieter de Bevere and their Ceylon survey; Maria Sibylla Merian and her Surinam collection; William Bartram and his North American collection; James Cook, Sir Joseph Banks and Sydney Parkinson and their Pacific samples; James Cook, and Johann and George Forster and their South Pacific collections; Matthew Flinders and Ferdinand Bauer and their Australian survey; Carles Darwin and his Beagle journey illustrations; Alfred Russel Wallace and Henry Walter Bates and their Amazonian adventure samples; and samples from the Challenger expedition, which was one of the first of its kind in the 1870s, in that it had a scientific agenda and used new technology to investigate the ocean depths.
September 19, 2011
Science illustrations are one of my favorite parts of studying the history of science. This book is a beautifully assembled collection of some of the greatest hits of natural history.
December 11, 2017
A very interesting book with some incredible illustrations from journeys spanning from the mid 1600s to the late 1800s.
Fascinating to note the progression of natural history illustration
Fascinating to note the progression of natural history illustration
November 16, 2020
This book was more pictures than words, as it rightly should be, being a showcase of illustrations from the natural history museum. The introductory write ups for each chapter were proficiently done, going into just sufficient details on the personalities of each historical voyage, the logistics and travel itinerary, without getting overly bogged down. This is useful for those who want a primer on the more famous naturalists like Darwin, Bates, and Wallace, before heading for the enormous and more thorough literature about them.
Artists were truly the unsung heroes of the Age of Discovery leading up to the late 19th century, without which visual representations of fauna and flora (and for that matter landscapes and peoples of new places) would not be available to the rest of the world, and saved for posterity, in the era before the advent of photography. Indeed, they were just as critical to the mission as the sailors and scientists on these epic voyages.
Artists were truly the unsung heroes of the Age of Discovery leading up to the late 19th century, without which visual representations of fauna and flora (and for that matter landscapes and peoples of new places) would not be available to the rest of the world, and saved for posterity, in the era before the advent of photography. Indeed, they were just as critical to the mission as the sailors and scientists on these epic voyages.
February 16, 2020
以伦敦自然博物馆馆藏为主要素材，为读者开启了自然科学史上的一段重要旅程。 想起自己在伦敦参观的各类博物馆，惊叹于数百年前的科学家、探险家，对未知的好奇和求知的欲望。人类从未停止去发现和学习自己与地球上其他生物的关系，这是一条崎岖的路，也是必经之路。
May 22, 2024
A collection of singing praises to the massive and rather impressive collection of the Natural History Museum in London. It details the early expeditions taken by daring voyagers centuries prior to current day. This gigantic coffee table book focuses down on not only those that spearheaded the voyages themselves, but the artists that were hired to paint landscapes, botany specimens, and animal life as they were found.
Though the age of exploration was truly remarkable, I wouldn’t treat this as an accurate historical representation of such. Very few words dictate this tome and they say incredibly little about the trials, tribulations, and encounters that systematically spurred the demand for the slaughter, collection, and objectification of animals, plants, and humans alike. It simply sings the praises of discovery and its artistic contributions to the museum.
Sure, that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment, but as far as historical accuracy goes this book falls short. It’s to be taken as an art book, nothing more. Perhaps an inspiration to visit the museum, but not much more.
Though the age of exploration was truly remarkable, I wouldn’t treat this as an accurate historical representation of such. Very few words dictate this tome and they say incredibly little about the trials, tribulations, and encounters that systematically spurred the demand for the slaughter, collection, and objectification of animals, plants, and humans alike. It simply sings the praises of discovery and its artistic contributions to the museum.
Sure, that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment, but as far as historical accuracy goes this book falls short. It’s to be taken as an art book, nothing more. Perhaps an inspiration to visit the museum, but not much more.
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February 14, 2009It's a visual celebration!
Before I read this, I never really thought much about people cataloging new species when they ventured to the "New World". Very interesting, and the pictures are great...what the scientists and artist accomplished, especially before modern classification systems, is remarkable.
Before I read this, I never really thought much about people cataloging new species when they ventured to the "New World". Very interesting, and the pictures are great...what the scientists and artist accomplished, especially before modern classification systems, is remarkable.
February 15, 2015
Amazing
October 19, 2018
great book
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews