John Ray, Naturalist: His Life and Works (Cambridge Library Collection - Botany and Horticulture)

This biography of John Ray, the seventeenth-century naturalist, was first published in 1942 at the height of the Second World War. It was written by Charles Raven, an eminent theologian who shared Ray's deep respect for intellectual integrity, honest exploration of the natural world, and the value of both theology and scientific endeavour. More than a superb history, this offers an opportunity to reassess the pivotal contributions of a brilliant but often undervalued scientist. Ray's major publications were written in Latin; Raven's linguistic skills – coupled with his passion for natural history – made him ideally suited to interpret Ray's scientific legacy. Raven reviews Ray's academic and scientific careers in the context of the dramatic social upheavals of his time. He evaluates the remarkable long-term and widespread influence of Ray's work on the development of science, alongside the significance of his final book, The Wisdom of God. Cover 1 Frontmatter 6 Contents 12 Preface 14 Introduction 18 Sources 18 Epitome of Ray's Life 20 ABBREVIATIONS 24 Chapter I - Boyhood and Youth 26 Note: The Rays in the Register at Black Notley 44 Chapter II - At Cambridge University 46 Note: Ray's Latin poems 64 Chapter III - First Studies in Science 68 Note: Ray's pupils at Trinity 96 Chapter IV - The Cambridge Catalogue 97 Note: Ray's garden in Trinity College 133 Chapter V - The Years of Travel 136 Note: Ray's Herbarium 165 Chapter VI - The English Catalogue 167 Note: The topography of Ray's journeys 185 Chapter VII - The Years of Varied Output 188 Note: Ray's house called Dewlands 204 Chapter VIII - The Structure and Classification of Plants 206 Note: Ray's relations with Nehemiah Grew 225 Chapter IX - The History of Plants 227 Note: Ray's wine-list 266 Chapter X - The Flora of Britain 268 Note: Localities at Black Notley 295 Chapter XI - Last Work in Botany 296 Note: Ray and Linnaeus 331 Chapter XII - The Ornithology 333 Note: Ray and Willughby 359 Note: Sir Thomas Browne on Birds 362 Chapter XIII - The History of Fishes 364 Note: The Smelts of Rostherne Mere 394 Note: The pictures of Fishes 395 Chapter XIV - Of Mammals and Reptiles 396 Chapter XV - The History of Insects 413 Note: Ray and the case of Lady Glanville 442 Chapter XVI - Of Fossils and Geology 444 Note: The controversy about Woodward's book 474 Chapter XVII - The Wisdom of God 477 Note: Ray's scientific genius 503 Conclusion 506 Index 508 9781108004664 Cambridge Library Collection - Life Sciences This biography of John Ray, the 17th-century naturalist, was first published in 1942. It was written by Charles Raven, an eminent theologian who shared Ray's respect for intellectual integrity, honest exploration of the natural world, and the value of both theology and scientific endeavour. More than a superb history, this offers an opportunity to reassess the pivotal contributions of a brilliant but often undervalued scientist. Ray's major publications were written in Latin; Raven's linguistic skills, coupled with his passion for natural history, made him ideally suited to interpret Ray's scientific legacy. Raven reviews Ray's academic and scientific careers in the context of the dramatic social upheavals of his time. He evaluates the remarkable long-term and widespread influence of Ray's work on the development of science, alongside the significance of his final book, The Wisdom of God John Ray was a seventeenth-century naturalist with the deepest respect for intellectual integrity, honest exploration of nature, and the role of theology and scientific endeavour. This superb 1942 biography reassesses the pivotal contributions of this brilliant but undervalued scientist and examines Ray's profound influence on the development of science.