"The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne" by Gilbert White
Gilbert White (1720-1793), was an English parson and naturalist whose classic "The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne" charted the path that led to our current understanding of ecosystems and the inter-connectedness of life forms.
His writing, in the form of letters, is very detailed, perhaps a bit pedantic at times, but also full of humor and insight. The "slow bits" are very much worth pushing through. As much as he was advanced in his scientific awareness he was, however, also very much a man of his times. So if you are disturbed by such things as his willingness to shoot animals in order to obtain samples to study, you may have problems with this book in a few spots.
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| Gilbert White - The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne |
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This book is considered a classic in the study of natural history. However I believe it holds value beyond that. Anyone who is interested in social history of the British Isles, the Georgian period, and so forth, will get a very good, first hand glimpse of the spirit of the times, the experiences of daily life, the social hierarchy, and the curiosity about Nature and the sciences that brought about the Industrial Revolution.
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Published by Folio Society -1994
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I'm fortunate to own a lovely copy of this book, published by Folio Society. It is beautifully illustrated with engravings by Chris Wormell and has a helpful introduction by Ian Niall, who places the author and his work in the context of his times.
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Typical of the beautiful illustrations throughout the book
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Here's a sample of some of his very amusing and charming writing.
LETTER XXXIII
The natural term of an hog's life is little known, and the reason is plain - because it is neither profitable nor convenient to keep that turbulent animal to the full extent of its time: however, my neighbour, a man of substance, who had no occasion to study every little advantage to a nicety, kept an half-bred Bantam sow, who was as thick as she was long, and whose belly swept on the ground, till she was advanced to her seventeenth year; at which period she showed some tokens of age by the decay of her teeth and the decline of her fertility.
For about ten years this prolific mother produced two litters in the year of about ten at a time, and once above twenty at a litter; but, as there were near double the number of pigs to that of teats, many died. From long experience in the world this female was grown very sagacious and artful: when she found occasion to converse with a boar she used to open all the intervening gates, and march, by herself, up to a distant farm where one was kept; and when her purpose was served would return by the same means. At the age of about fifteen her litters began to be reduced to four or five; and such a litter she exhibited when in her fatting-pen. She proved, when fat, good bacon, juicy, and tender; the rind, or sward, was remarkably thin. At a moderate computation she was allowed to have been the fruitful parent of three hundred pigs: a prodigious instance of fecundity in so large a quadruped! She was killed in spring 1775.
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