biology

James Bateman (1811-1897) was a renowned horticulturist, specifically focused on orchidology. He was a highly regarded researcher and landscaper who promoted the analysis and cultivation of flowers and hosted several scholarly expeditions to Mexico and South America.

Imagine a dazzling sunlit morning where you’ve chosen to escape from modern day technology and enjoy the beauty of nature. You come across an intriguing structure that you identify as a birds nest. However, without cell phone reception you are unable to scurry to Google for help, and you are unable to identify the species of bird that constructed the nest. Well, fear no more.

This book takes an illustrative scientific approach towards understanding how interwoven conditions such as hydrology, oxygen levels, and plant canopies impact the types of species that can be found in freshwater wetlands. These ‘abiotic’ factors contribute to the overall development and adaptation of microorganisms, invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants in wetlands. Even with the scientific approach, The Biology of Freshwater Wetlands is easy to read for researchers, students, and others interested in ecology.

Dinoflagellates are single celled organisms in the kingdom ‘Protista.’ They are important primary producers (make food through photosynthesis), symbionts (live dependently but peacefully with/on other organisms), consumers (they eat things), and parasites. Some produce harmful toxins which can impact humans. Yet there has been a lack of comprehensive taxonomic studies on these species.

The relationship between plants and insects is impacted by generations of evolution by both insects and plants. Insects consume about 10% of plant annual production in natural habitats and even more in agricultural systems. For that reason, plants have had to adapt their defensive mechanisms to fend off these predators.  Consequently, some insects have become specialized feeders in order to sustain life. Insect-Plant Biology focuses on the mechanisms that make insects specialized and how plants respond to these invasions.

This volume of the “Fauna of the Romanian People's Republic” is part of a larger set which covers the fauna of Romania. This volume covers the arachnids of Romania, which includes spiders, scorpions, opils, and ticks. Complete with detailed illustrations, this book serves as a helpful research resource and as a way to startle your friends who suffer from arachnophobia.

This is the first edition of Alfred Russel Wallace’s (1823-1913) work on biodiversity, a subject of study that wasn’t as popular 130 years ago. Wallace is referred to as the “father of biogeography” due to his extensive fieldwork around the world documenting species' distribution based on their locations. He is also considered Charles Darwin’s biggest influencer and proponent when Darwin was writing On the Origins of a Species, based on Wallace's theories of natural selection.

Italian polymath Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) has been called the father of natural history by such giants in the field as Carl Linnaeus and the Comte de Buffon. A true Renaissance man, he studied law, philosophy, and medicine before being named the University of Bologna’s first Chair of Natural Science in 1561. He founded the University’s botanical garden— one of the first of its kind in Europe— several years later, and included space for his natural history collection, which included animal specimens, minerals, plants, and man-made artifacts.

The first edition of Peter Henderson’s Gardening for Profit was published in 1867, two years after the Civil War ended, and sold 100,000 copies. It’s considered the first book written on market gardening in the United States. Market gardening is defined as small scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers, from less than an acre to a few acres. In today's world, you may meet a market gardener at your local farmer's market. 

Beautiful Gardens in America (both the 1915 and 1924 editions) is Louise Shelton’s most important work and a noted work of twentieth century American gardening and cultural history. This 1924 edition includes 11 color and 274 half-tone photos (a large increase from the 1915 edition) of notable American gardens of the time. Both photos and gardens were carefully selected by the author and cover many regions of the country and varying climatic conditions.

The title may be misleading: these volumes are not how to find baby birds, but rather they are adorable pocket-sized volumes to be used for identifying bird species in New England and other Northeastern states. Volume I covers song birds, such as flycatchers, larks and sparrows; volume II includes water and game birds, hawks, and owls. The illustrations in Volume I are outline sketches but by the time Volume II was published the author was able to use photographs. Blank pages were included in the books so bird watchers could record their own observations.

From the smallest cells to vast, swirling nebulae; from plumes of volcanic ash and rock to the relationships of primates; William L. Staley carefully details life on Earth as we know it.  He does so with the help of My Pal, a cartoon bacterium.  The result is a bit silly but informative and inviting.  Printed on coated paper and frequently dotted with illustrations, cartoons, and photographs (of special note is the fold-out photo of the skeleton from fish to man at the end).  This first edition copy is signed and dated by the author. 

Biologist Paul Ehrlich and director for the Center of Conservation Biology at Stanford University Anne Ehrlich dedicate this book, “To Homo sapiens, which through the extinction of others endangers itself;” an appropriate summary.  This husband and wife duo have spent decades warning about the dangers of overpopulation, and in Extinction they focus on the affect it can have on species’ populations, the environment, and, ultimately, humanity itself.  It is a straight-forward, compelling narrative that dissects why we should save even the lowliest of species, how we have threate

Number 68 of just 200 copies, this whimsical semi-autobiography of expert naturalist and taxidermist Oliver Davie is interspersed with encyclopedia-esque entries minutely describing species particular to the author’s career. The pebbled, green cover is embossed in black and gold, and the book is printed on thick, embossed paper with visible chain lines. Lithographs, photos, and illustrations dot its text, including a photograph of the author at work.

Imagine climbing into a small, metal submersible, closing the hatch, and dropping into the ocean. The light will quickly fade as the metal around you grinds ever-so-slightly, adjusting to the changes in pressure. But you’re not afraid – no, of course not, not when Richard Ellis is by your side regaling you with tales of giant squid attacking bait traps, discovering vent fields at the bottom of the ocean, and the sudden appearance of a prehistoric, formally extinct fish. This is exactly what reading this book is like. In it, Mr.

The Azores, an archipelago of volcanic islands west of Portugal, undoubtedly possesses one of the most unique and ever-changing environments on the planet.  Within these lush and vibrant islands lie flora and fauna never seen before.  In fact, it is not unusual to discover new species on the islands.

"Pursuing the wonder of discovery" is an apt tagline for Frank A. Garcia. Despite having no formal education, Mr. Garcia has become one of America’s foremost paleontologists, discovering more than 30 previously unknown species (including two which were named after him). He slid down into phosphate pits with a broken leg, dug up massive prehistoric turtle bones with his dog Webster, and even went digging while recovering from back surgery.

An early twentieth century book in which an older gardener named Giles teaches three children, named Mark, Dorothy, and Ruth how to create their first garden. The book chronicles them caring for the garden in their first year. The reader begins in January and ends with the garden blanketed with snow in December. The children learn the importance of doing garden chores each month and if you “take care of your plants and treat them rightly, they are sure to reward you with beautiful flowers.” The delightful illustrations throughout the book are by Gertrude M.

Johann Amman (1707-1741) was a Swiss-born doctor and botanist who actively corresponded with both Hans Sloane and Carl Linnaeus. Johann Amman did much to advance the study of botany in Russia—his 1739 Stirpium Rariorum was one of the first botanical works to be published by the Russian Academy of Sciences at Saint Petersburg, at which he was Chair of Botany. In addition, he cultivated a number of the specimens described in the book in the Academy’s Botanical Garden, which he founded.

The authors use the discovery of discarded 19^th-century cadavers at the Medical College of Georgia to examine the use of African American bodies as a medical education tool. The book looks at the cultural implications of these practices as well as the resulting medical knowledge. This research brings added dimension to physical anthropology discoveries and historical medical findings.