Subjects
The Aliveness of Plants:
The Darwins at the Dawn of Plant Science
Peter Ayres
978 1 85196 970 8: 234x156mm: £60.00/$99.00
978 1 85196 560 1
The Darwin family was instrumental in the history of botany. For Erasmus (1731–1802), it was a hobby, for Charles (1809–1882) an inspiration, and for Francis (1848–1925), a profession. Their experiences illustrate the growing specialization and professionalization of science throughout the nineteenth century. Ayres shows how botany escaped the burdens of medicine, feminization and the sterility of classification and nomenclature to become a rigorous laboratory science.
Sample pages
Readership
History of Botany, History of Biology, Darwin Studies
Contents
Chapter 1: Green Threads across the Ages: A Brief Perspective on the Darwins’ Botany
Chapter 2: The Fortunes of the Darwins
Chapter 3: The Misfortunes of Botany
Chapter 4: Erasmus Darwin’s Vision of the Future: Phytologia
Chapter 5: Charles Darwin’s Evolutionary Period
Chapter 6: Charles Darwin’s Physiological Period
Chapter 7: Charles Darwin, Francis Darwin and Differences with von Sachs
Chapter 8: Francis Darwin, Cambridge and Plant Physiology
Chapter 9: Francis Darwin, Family and his Father’s Memory
Chapter 10: Fortune’s Favourites?
Chapter 11: Where Did the Green Threads Lead? The Botanical Legacy
Reviews
Winner of CHOICE Magazine's Outstanding Academic Titles 2008 award.
'Ayres comprehensively sums up the achievements of Darwinian plant science, successfully recreates the atmosphere of the times and assesses the personal strengths and frailties of each of the leading characters. All this is beautifully intertwined and placed in an enveloping framework of social and institutional change...The book is highly recommended.'
– Mike Jackson, Annals of Botany
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