Natural Histories

Natural Histories PDF Author: American Museum of Natural History
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781454912149
Category : Illustrated books
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Highlights 40 masterworks of illustrated scientific art from the Rare Book Collection of the American Museum of Natural History.

The Natural History of Puget Sound Country

The Natural History of Puget Sound Country PDF Author: Arthur R. Kruckeberg
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 9780295970196
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 506

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Book Description
Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award Bounded on the east by the crest of the Cascade Range and on the west by the lofty east flank of the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound terrain includes every imaginable topograhic variety. This thoughtful and eloquent natural history of the Puget Sound region begins with a discussion of how the ice ages and vulcanism shaped the land and then examines the natural attributes of the region--flora and fauna, climate, special habitats, life histories of key organisms--as they pertain to the functioning ecosystem. Mankind's effects upon the natural environment are a pervasive theme of the book. Kruckeberg looks at both positive and negative aspects of human interaction with nature in the Puget basin. By probing the interconnectedness of all natural aspects of one region, Kruckeberg illustrates ecological principles at work and gives us a basis for wise decision-making. The Natural History of Puget Sound Country is a comprehensive reference, invaluable for all citizens of the Northwest, as well as for conservationists, biologists, foresters, fisheries and wildlife personnel, urban planners, and environmental consultants everywhere. Lavishly illustrated with over three hundred photographs and drawings, it is much more than a beautiful book. It is a guide to our future.

Natural History

Natural History PDF Author: Michael Runtz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781465242389
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
What exactly is natural history? To put it simply, it is the study of all living things with which we share this planet. Natural history could be thought of as an observational science involving the exploration of flora and fauna (plants and animals) and their interaction with each other and their environment.

Illuminating Natural History

Illuminating Natural History PDF Author: Henrietta McBurney
Publisher: Paul Mellon Centre
ISBN: 9781913107192
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
This book explores the life and work of the 18th-century English artist, explorer, naturalist, and author Mark Catesby (1683-1749). During Catesby's lifetime, science was poised to shift from a world of amateur virtuosi to one of professional experts. He worked against a backdrop of global travel that incorporated collecting and direct observation of nature. Catesby spent two prolonged periods in the New World--in Virginia (1712-19) and South Carolina and the Bahamas (1722-26)--which he documented in Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, the first large-format, color-plate book on the natural history of North America. Interweaving elements of art history, history of science, natural history illustration, painting materials, book history, paper studies, garden history, and colonial history, this volume brings together a wealth of unpublished images as well as previously unpublished letters by Catesby, with contemporary accounts of his collecting and encounters in the wild, and details of the materials and techniques of packing and transporting plants and animals across the Atlantic.

A Natural History of the Chicago Region

A Natural History of the Chicago Region PDF Author: Joel Greenberg
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226306496
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 614

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Book Description
"In A Natural History of the Chicago Region, Greenberg takes you on a journey that begins with European explorers and settlers and hasn't ended yet. Along the way he introduces you to the physical forces that have shaped the area from southeastern Wisconsin to northern Indiana and Berrien County in Michigan; the various habitat types present in the region and how European settlement has affected them; and the insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, and mammals found in presettlement times, then amid the settlers and now amid the skyscrappers. In all, Greenberg chronicles the development of nineteen counties in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin across centuries of ecological, technological, and social transformations."--BOOK JACKET.

The Essential Naturalist

The Essential Naturalist PDF Author: Michael H. Graham
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226305708
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 550

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Book Description
Like nearly every area of scholarly inquiry today, the biological sciences are broken into increasingly narrow fields and subfields, its practitioners divided into ecologists, evolutionary biologists, taxonomists, paleontologists, and much more. But all these splintered pieces have their origins in the larger field of natural history—and in this era where climate change and relentless population growth are irrevocably altering the world around us, perhaps it’s time to step back and take a new, fresh look at the larger picture. The Essential Naturalist offers exactly that: a wide-ranging, eclectic collection of writings from more than eight centuries of observations of the natural world, from Leeuwenhoek to E. O. Wilson, from von Humboldt to Rachel Carson. Featuring commentaries by practicing scientists that offer personal accounts of the importance of the long tradition of natural history writing to their current research, the volume serves simultaneously as an overview of the field’s long history and as an inspirational starting point for new explorations, for trained scientists and amateur enthusiasts alike.

The Natural History of Deer

The Natural History of Deer PDF Author: Rory Putman
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 9780801422836
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
This book reviews current knowledge of the biology and natural history of the world's 40 species of deer.

A Natural History of California

A Natural History of California PDF Author: Allan A. Schoenherr
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520069218
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 784

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Book Description
Includes introductory chapters on basic ecology and geology to familiarize the reader with the climate, rocks, soil, plants, and animals in each distinctive region of California and shows how the state's natural history is uniquely interwoven with its human history.

Vietnam: A Natural History

Vietnam: A Natural History PDF Author: Eleanor Jane Sterling
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300128215
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 443

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Book Description
A country uncommonly rich in plants, animals, and natural habitats, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shelters a significant portion of the world’s biological diversity, including rare and unique organisms and an unusual mixture of tropical and temperate species. This book is the first comprehensive account of Vietnam’s natural history in English. Illustrated with maps, photographs, and thirty-five original watercolor illustrations, the book offers a complete tour of the country’s plants and animals along with a full discussion of the factors shaping their evolution and distribution. Separate chapters focus on northern, central, and southern Vietnam, regions that encompass tropics, subtropics, mountains, lowlands, wetland and river regions, delta and coastal areas, and offshore islands. The authors provide detailed descriptions of key natural areas to visit, where a traveler might explore limestone caves or glimpse some of the country’s twenty-seven monkey and ape species and more than 850 bird species. The book also explores the long history of humans in the country, including the impact of the Vietnam-American War on plants and animals, and describes current efforts to conserve Vietnam’s complex, fragile, and widely threatened biodiversity.

Naturalist

Naturalist PDF Author: Edward O. Wilson
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 9781597260886
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 444

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Book Description
Edward O. Wilson -- University Professor at Harvard, winner of two Pulitzer prizes, eloquent champion of biodiversity -- is arguably one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. His career represents both a blueprint and a challenge to those who seek to explore the frontiers of scientific understanding. Yet, until now, little has been told of his life and of the important events that have shaped his thought.In Naturalist, Wilson describes for the first time both his growth as a scientist and the evolution of the science he has helped define. He traces the trajectory of his life -- from a childhood spent exploring the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Florida to life as a tenured professor at Harvard -- detailing how his youthful fascination with nature blossomed into a lifelong calling. He recounts with drama and wit the adventures of his days as a student at the University of Alabama and his four decades at Harvard University, where he has achieved renown as both teacher and researcher.As the narrative of Wilson's life unfolds, the reader is treated to an inside look at the origin and development of ideas that guide today's biological research. Theories that are now widely accepted in the scientific world were once untested hypotheses emerging from one mans's broad-gauged studies. Throughout Naturalist, we see Wilson's mind and energies constantly striving to help establish many of the central principles of the field of evolutionary biology.The story of Wilson's life provides fascinating insights into the making of a scientist, and a valuable look at some of the most thought-provoking ideas of our time.

Ecology and Natural History (Collins New Naturalist Library)

Ecology and Natural History (Collins New Naturalist Library) PDF Author: David Wilkinson
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0008293643
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
Ecology is the science of ecosystems, of habitats, of our world and its future. In the latest New Naturalist, ecologist David M. Wilkinson explains key ideas of this crucial branch of science, using Britain’s ecosystems to illustrate each point.