Launch of The History of Natural History

The History of Natural History: An annotated bibliography by Gavin Bridson FLS

30th October 2008

SHNH members attended the launch of a major new work from the Linnean Society entitled The History of Natural History: an annotated bibliography (second edition). The History of Natural History is an essential source of information for scientists and researchers as well as everyone interested in the historical importance of natural history collections.  This annotated bibliography, the only one to encompass the entire subject area, provides a unique key to information sources for this wide-ranging subject.

This new edition revises and updates the 1994 first edition written by the scholar and bibliographer, Gavin Bridson FLS (1936–2008) and includes over 5,300 additional references. Bibliographer and principal research scholar at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Gavin Bridson began his long career in natural history as an assistant in the natural history department of the distinguished London book seller Bernard Quaritch. He later worked as Zoological Departmental Librarian at the Natural History Museum in London and then as Librarian and Archivist at the Linnean Society of London. Apart from his professional interests in the bibliography and history of natural history, he pursued special research interests in the history of natural history illustration and the technical history of picture-printing techniques during the period 1750–1900.  In 1992 he was awarded the Founder’s Medal of the Society for the History of Natural History for his significant contribution to the bibliography of natural history.

Taking over nine years to compile, the first edition was a work of great scholarship, encompassing the entire subject area of natural history and providing a unique information resource for this broad subject. Professor Janet Browne FLS, Aramont Professor in the History of Science at Harvard University wrote of the first edition. "[T]his volume has just about everything a historian of natural history could want in the reference line…" (British journal for the history of science).

 The History of Natural History (second edition) has been substantially updated, providing a comprehensive catalogue of over 1,100 pages of source information including collected biographies of naturalists and natural history artists; important library resources and catalogues; core bibliographies for the history of natural history, exploration, voyages and travel; resources for the history of botany and zoology; and references for natural history illustrations, cabinets and museums. A feature of the book is the wide range of illustrations, both colour and monochrome, featuring many highlights from the Linnean Society’s collections. It will appeal to botanists, scientists, collectors, history of science scholars, gardeners and bibliographers and should be available in all good libraries.

Charlotte A. (Chuck) Tancin FLS, Librarian at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and winner of the 2008 Charles Robert Long Award of Extraordinary Merit from the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries writes: “In this greatly expanded and enhanced second edition of The History of Natural History, the late Gavin Bridson has produced a superior research tool for working taxonomists and historians of natural history.  As a colleague, I admire the deep knowledge and experience that enabled him to produce this comprehensive work.  As a librarian who sees that researchers increasingly look online for what they want and often don’t delve further, I applaud this annotated bibliography that is organized for maximum usability to reduce the likelihood that researchers will miss relevant works.  And as a researcher, I am grateful for what will become an essential tool assisting scientists and scholars to broaden their searches and deepen their research.”

Sadly, Gavin Bridson passed away at the beginning of 2008 so was not able to see his new edition published.  Professor Gren Lucas, OBE, Treasurer of the Linnean Society, has written in the Preface “The loss of Gavin before the Society was able to publish this wonderful product of his great erudition,diligence and commitment to our science came as an enormous shock. It is a further sadness to know that he will not be able to enjoy the satisfaction and pleasure that this most indispensable work will bring to all those who see and use it. However, there is some gentle compensation in knowing that this fine tome is, and will be, a most fitting memorial to a life spent in the service of Natural History worldwide.”

Speakers at the launch at the Linnean Society on Thursday 30th October at 6.00pm included: Dr Robert G.W. Anderson, visiting fellow at Cambridge University and whose previous posts include Director of the National Museums of Scotland and Director of the British Museum in London; Professor Hugh Torrens, an eminent geologist and historian of science who was awarded the prestigious Geological Society of America History of Geology Division Award in 2000; and Ms Robin Myers, Member of Council of the Bibliographical Society and a member of the Stationers' and Newspaper Makers’ Company, a Livery Company of the City of London.

The book is available priced at £65 plus postage and packing from The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BF (order form and contents pages available via www.linnean.org), or email victoria(at)linnean.org.