Check out our two new exhibition reviews

SHNH John Thackray Medal is awarded to “Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology” “

Backgrounds are first provided on the Code and on printing and publishing over the last 250 years. The compilers then bring together reports on 148 books and 121 periodicals in zoology which, between them, present almost all the challenges that can make date determination problematic. The reports provide links to the published authorities and are […]

Published – The Curious Mr Catesby: a “truly ingenious” naturalist explores new worlds

‘The curious Mister Catesby: a “truly ingenious” naturalist explores new worlds’.
A comprehensive and lavishly illustrated new study of the man and his work, with over 185 color illustrations, published by The University of Georgia Press (2015).

SHNH invites submissions to the Stearn Student Essay Prize 2015 for natural history

W. T. Stearn Essay Prize Winners 2014 Matthew Holmes, University of Leeds, PhD student. The perfect pest: natural history & the red squirrel in nineteenth-century Scotland. 2012 Andrea Kennedy, University of Cambridge MPhil student 2011-12. The beauty of Victorian beasts: illustration in Rev. J.G. Wood’s Homes without Hands. Published in Archives of natural history 40 […]

John Thackray Medal 2015 open for nominations

All SHNH members in good standing are invited to make nominations for the 2015 award using the form below. Nominations should be sent to the Honorary Secretary, with an accompanying letter.

Digitising Natural History & Medical Manuscripts 27 – 28 April

Organisers:         Isabelle Charmantier and Andrea Deneau, The Linnean Society of London and Staffan Müller-Wille, University of Exeter Date:                     From 1pm Monday 27 April to 5pm Tuesday 28 April 2015 Place:                    The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BF Cost:                      Registration: £30/£20 students (includes 3 refreshments, lunch and reception) Meeting […]

Conference: Refloating the Ark, 17–18 June 2015

 One day: £25 Two days: £40 (includes refreshments and lunch) About this conference How can museums with natural history collections support high-quality public engagement with nature? How can their collections support scientific research and environmental monitoring? This two-day conference will explore these questions through presentations from leading museum workers, ecologists, citizen science managers, data managers […]

History of Zoos & Aquariums: From Royal gifts to Biodiversity Conservation now available

Modern zoos and aquariums attract more than 700 million visitors every year worldwide and contribute more than US$350 million to conservation projects. The History of Zoos and Aquariums: From Royal gifts to Biodiversity Conservation celebrates the 75th Anniversary of SHNH – the Society for the History of Natural History in 2012 and the 80th Anniversary […]

Announcement: Stearn Essay Prize Winner is Matthew Holmes

The William T. Stearn Student Essay Prize was instituted in honour of the late William T. Stearn, a scholar whose work contributed much to the field and to this Society. This annual award is given by the Society for the History of Natural History (SHNH) for the best original unpublished essay in the field of history of […]

History of teaching natural history: Registration open

This two-day meeting will present the history of different teaching practices and methods for the earth and life sciences, primarily focussing on schools and universities. It will have two major themes: the history of teaching natural history within institutional facilities, and the history of teaching natural history in the outdoor arena.   Friday 10 October: […]