Short Bios on Entomologists

[boghaunter1]

Highly Recommended...

In another forum there appears to be great interest in bios of past entomologists like Meek, Pratts, Bates, etc.... I have been meaning to suggest the following book for a while now as it is very interesting & should still be available online at 2nd hand book stores, etc. This book contains short bios of over 200 individual (American, U.S. only) entomologists specializing in all insect orders: "American Entomologists" by Arnold Mallis, 1971, 549 pgs., Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey., ISBN: 0-8135-0686-7

I 1st discovered this book in a local library a way back in my teens (during the Jurrassic period) & had the librarian actually Xerox the entire book! Cost me $50.00 bucks - 549 pgs! Since the advent of the internet I found a copy online about 5 yrs, ago...

John K.

[Chris Grinter]

I just picked up that very book at a used book store in Boston this summer, I think I paid $5!

[boghaunter1]

Chris... I paid considerably less for the actual book than for the cost of Xeroxing it yrs. before!! Such is the power of the internet & great used book sites like abebooks.com

[mygos]

They are quite a few books on entomologists such as :

- GILBERT Pamela A source book for biographical literature on entomologists
Backhuys, Leiden. 2007

- GOUILLARD J. Histoire des Entomologistes français (1750-1950)
Boubée, Paris. 2004

- LHOSTE Jean Les entomologistes français, 1750-1950
I.N.R.A./O.P.I.E.. 1987

SALMON Michael A., MARREN Peter, HARLEY Basil The Aurelian Legacy. British butterflies and their collectors
University of California Press, Berkeley. 2000-

A+, Michel

[wollastoni]

Merci Michel, I just ordered Gouillard's book.

[mygos]

I received my copy of Mallis "American entomologists" bought for 8 $ on www.abebooks.com
Thank you John, as this is a new interesting acquisition for my large book collection !

A+, Michel

[boghaunter1]

You're very welcome Michel... Any & all bios of historic entomologists are fascinating (& inspirational) to me.

Another very interesting book (most parts of it besides the political stuff..) is "Dear Lord Rothschild" by Miriam Rothschild (Walter's neice)... an interesting look at the private life & factory scale collecting efforts of this greatest of all natural history collectors....

John K.

[boghaunter1]

Yet another interesting book is called "Butterfly Farmer" by L. H. Newman (Leonard Hugh) published in 1953; I got my copy cheap from Ebay (lucky break) about 5 yrs. ago. This fascinating little book, 208 pg., describes the creation & operation of a commercial butterfly/moth breeding farm in "the village of Old Bexley in Kent" from 1894 - 1951. The farm was started by L.H.'s father, Leonard Woods Newman, (also an author "Text Book of British Butterflies & Moths, 1913"). Lord Rothschild, E. Cheesman were contempories & customers/clients. Really a great little book with quite a number of B. & W. photos showing how mass rearing was done in those days. This book may be harder to find, but is still available..but pricey (just found 2 on abebooks).

L. Hugh Newman wrote quite a number of Insect related books - from a list found in the intro to Butterfly Farmer: "Wings in the Sun", "Talking of Butterflies", "Butterfly Haunts", "Butterflies on the Wing", "British Moths & their Haunts", "Moths on the Wing", "Stand & Stare", Linger & Look", "Nature's Way" & "Transformations of Butterflies & Moths"

Edward Newman, author of the classic work "The Illustrated Natural History of British Butterflies" is not related to this father/son team...

John K.

[nomad]

The Butterfly Farmer and L. H. Newman's Living with Butterflies [1967]
are two of my fave books.

Some years ago I went to see L. H. Newman and bought some Leps from him. He really was a nice guy. A wonderful meeting.

nomad