Pre-Owned Bright Paradise: Victorian Scientific Travellers (Paperback) 071267392X 9780712673921

A fabulously rich anecdotal and gripping account of those men and women who ventured out from Britain into the swamps and jungles of the tropics in search knowingly or not of the missing link. Through their stoical-sometimes crack-brained-voyages the shape of the world geographically and biologically was elucidated. Never have more significant journeys been made. . . . Enthusiastic informed and racy this is one of the most invigorating accounts of the exploits of people from an age whose intrepidity is staggering. Peter Raby s book follows a disparate crew of botanists scientists and collectors who tried to order the earthly paradise which unfolded around them. Entrepreneurs they may have been - many were dependent on selling their specimens to finance their trips-but they were also scrupulous and sensitive observers. . . . Raby finds some shimmering personalities. . . . His book is excellent. DAILY TELEGRAPH Contributor: Peter Raby