The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace

The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace

The Malay Archipelago is the classic work on the flora, fauna, and peoples of the area now known as Indonesia. Based largely on four field journals which Wallace kept during the eight years he spent in Malaysia and Indonesia between 1854 and 1862, it ranks as the greatest travel book on the region and, in its analysis of the geographical distribution of animals, is one of the most important natural history books of the nineteenth century. Wallace's travels were mainly to obtain natural history specimens for his own and other collections. He collected 125,660 in all, mostly beetles, butterflies and birds, in the face of considerable difficulties. This book was originally published in 1869, seven years after Wallace's return from the area, and the new edition has an informative introduction by Dr John Bustin.

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist. He was born on 8 January 1823 in the small village of Usk, Monmouthshire. Shortly after finishing school, Wallace's father passed away, and he joined his brother to do work surveying countries for four years. Through this, he acquired the talent for observation and detailed recordings.

He is best known for his theory of natural selection. From 1854 to 1862 he explored the Amazon River with his mentor Henry Walter Bates. During this expedition, he saw differences between the animals in Asia and the animals in Australia. Out of this experience came his theory of natural selection.

He wrote a manuscript called On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type. He sent it to Charles Darwin who decided to publish his theory right away. To this day, Wallace's greatest accomplishment was to get Charles Darwin to publish his own theory.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780195889550
ISBN 10	019588955X
Title	The Malay Archipelago
Author	Alfred Russel Wallace
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press Australia
Year published	1989-10-01
Number of pages	648
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.