The Rise of the Flesh-Avoiders
Modern vegetarianism is concerned largely with issues of animal welfare but its roots are to be found in the early-modern desire to promote spirituality by curbing humanity’s excessive appetites.
Environmental History
Through the Fog and Filthy Air
An erudite study of the environmental price paid by the growth of early modern London, which looks to be repeated in present-day Beijing.
The Soil Depletion Crisis
A tragic episode from the 19th century reveals the danger of an environmental quick fix.
Dust Bowl Blues
A photograph taken during the Great Depression prompts Roger Hudson to re-evaluate Roosevelt’s New Deal.
The Wesley Naturalist
Victorian Methodists, writes Stuart Andrews, carried on the keen interest in scientific subjects that had once been shown by John Wesley.
Tragedy at Cooper’s Creek
Burke and Wills crossed the continent of Australia; but, writes S.H. Woolf, tragedy marked their way back.
Linnaeus and Botany
In the age of the Encyclopaedists, writes Wilfrid Blunt, Linnaeus applied his great classifying talents to the world of plants.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew
William Gardener assesses the handiwork of Sir William Jackson Hooker and John Lindley.
The Role of the East India Company 1785-1858
Although “renowned for their interest in profits and dividends,” the Directors of the East India Company encouraged their servants to explore the field of natural history; Mildred Archer describes how British naturalists, when recording their researches, often employed a staff of gifted Indian artists.
Trek and Counter-Trek in South Africa
The inward movement of European peoples and the southward migration of Bantu tribes supply the key to South African history and, write Edna and Frank Bradlow, to the problems that confront the country today.