Final Programme for 350th anniversary meeting for John Ray’s “Catalogue of Cambridge Plants”, 1660: the first English “County Flora”

The Society for the History of Natural History is hosting a joint meeting at Cambridge University Library, Cambridge, UK on Wednesday 3rd November 2010 to celebrate the forthcoming publication by the Ray Society of the English translation of John Ray’s Catalogus plantarum circa Cantabrigiam nascentium, originally published by John Field in Cambridge in 1660. This […]

Full series of Archives of natural history now available online

SHNH Editor, Dr Charles Nelson reports that the uploading of the electronic versions of the back issues of Archives of natural history, including the earliest volumes which had the title Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History, on to the journal’s site at Edinburgh University Press is now completed. All volumes from 1 […]

Winner of the 2010 W. T. Stearn Student Essay Prize is announced

The Society for the History of Natural History is delighted to announce that the winner of the 2010 W. T. Stearn Student Essay Prize is Nils Petter Hellström, who has recently completed his M.Phil. in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. His essay, entitled ‘The tree as evolutionary […]

Updated Programme for meeting on John Ray’s Catalogue of Cambridge Plants, 1660: the first English “County Flora”

The Society for the History of Natural History is hosting a joint meeting to celebrate the publication of the English translation of John Ray’s Catalogus plantarum circa Cantabrigiam nascentium by the Ray Society. Originally published by John Field in Cambridge in 1660, this is the first English “County flora” as well as being the first […]

From Royal Gifts to Biodiversity Conservation: the history and development of menageries, zoos and aquariums

The Spring meeting in 2011 will be  “From Royal Gifts to Biodiversity Conservation: the history and development of menageries, zoos and aquariums”.  It is a joint meeting, the co-sponsors being SHNH, the North of England Zoological Society (NEZS), the Linnean Society of London, the Bartlett Society and The World Society of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), to […]

New volumes added to Archives of natural history online

SHNH Editor, Dr Charles Nelson reports that the uploading of the electronic versions of the back issues of Archives of natural history, including the earliest volumes which had the title Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History, on to the journal’s site at Edinburgh University Press is now nearly completed. All volumes from […]

Message from the President August 2010

Council had a good meeting on 29th July, at which we welcomed four new councillors – Professor John Edgington, Ms Miranda Lowe, Dr Isabelle Charmantier and Mr Julian Wilson.  In order to obtain a new, and younger, perspective on the business of recruitment and retention of members to the Society, Julian, Isabelle and Miranda were […]

The exhibition ‘Colourful Encounters: Toucans and other Ecuadorian Birds’ by John Gould has opened at Henry Southeran Ltd, London until 30th July.

Sir David Attenborough OM CH FRS unanimously elected as first Patron of the Society for the History of Natural History

Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM CH FRS was unanimously elected as the first Patron of the Society for the History of Natural History at the Annual General Meeting held in Torquay on 15 May 2010. In speaking of his new role Sir David wrote, "The subject is one that greatly interests me and I hope […]

Report on SHNH Spring meeting: Bicentenary of Henry Gosse, 1810-1888 Torquay Museum, 14-15 May 2010

The Torquay Museum, near Gosse’s home in Marychurch,  in the later years of his life, was the venue for the 2010 Spring meeting and AGM, and welcomed 36 delegates to their Pengelly Hall for two days in a somewhat unseasonably cool May. The keynote speaker, Ann Thwaite, author of Glimpses of the Wonderful, the life […]