The Man Who Organized Nature : The Life of Linnaeus

A new biography of Carl Linnaeus, offering a vivid portrait of Linnaeus's life and work Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), known as the father of modern biological taxonomy, formalized and popularized the system of binomial nomenclature used to classify plants and animals. Linnaeus himself classified thousands of species; the simple and immediately recognizable abbreviation "L" is used to mark classifications originally made by Linnaeus. This biography, by the leading authority on Linnaeus, offers a vivid portrait of Linnaeus's life and work. Drawing on a wide range of previously unpublished sources--including diaries and personal correspondence--as well as new research, it presents revealing and original accounts of his family life, the political context in which he pursued his work, and his eccentric views on sexuality. The Man Who Organized Nature describes Linnaeus's childhood in a landscape of striking natural beauty and how this influenced his later work. Linnaeus's Lutheran pastor father, knowledgeable about plants and an enthusiastic gardener, helped foster an early interest in botany. The book examines the political connections that helped Linnaeus secure patronage for his work, and untangles his ideas about sexuality. These were not, as often assumed, an attempt to naturalize gender categories but more likely reflected the laissez-faire attitudes of the era. Linnaeus, like many other brilliant scientists, could be moody and egotistical; the book describes his human failings as well as his medical and scientific achievements. Written in an engaging and accessible style, The Man Who Organized Nature --one of the only biographies of Linnaeus to appear in English--provides new and fascinating insights into the life of one of history's most consequential and enigmatic scientists.

A new biography of Carl Linnaeus, offering a vividportrait of Linnaeus's life and work Carl Linnaeus(1707-1778), known as the father of modern biological taxonomy,formalized and popularized the system of binomial nomenclature usedto classify plants and animals. Linnaeus himself classifiedthousands of species; the simple and immediately recognizableabbreviation "L" is used to mark classifications originally made byLinnaeus. This biography, by the leading authority on Linnaeus,offers a vivid portrait of Linnaeus's life and work. Drawing on awide range of previously unpublished sources-including diaries andpersonal correspondence-as well as new research, it presentsrevealing and original accounts of his family life, the politicalcontext in which he pursued his work, and his eccentric views onsexuality. The Man Who Organized Nature describesLinnaeus's childhood in a landscape of striking natural beauty andhow this influenced his later work. Linnaeus's Lutheran pastorfather, knowledgeable about plants and an enthusiastic gardener,helped foster an early interest in botany. The book examines thepolitical connections that helped Linnaeus secure patronage for hiswork, and untangles his ideas about sexuality. These were not, asoften assumed, an attempt to naturalize gender categories but morelikely reflected the laissez-faire attitudes of the era. Linnaeus,like many other brilliant scientists, could be moody andegotistical; the book describes his human failings as well as hismedical and scientific achievements. Written in an engaging andaccessible style, The Man Who Organized Nature-one of theonly biographies of Linnaeus to appear in English-provides new andfascinating insights into the life of one of history's mostconsequential and enigmatic scientists.

A vivid portrait of the life and work of Carl LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus (1707–1778), known as the father of modern biological taxonomy, formalized and popularized the system of binomial nomenclature used to classify plants and animals. Linnaeus himself classified thousands of species; the simple and immediately recognizable abbreviation “L” is used to mark classifications originally made by Linnaeus. This biography, by the leading authority on Linnaeus, offers a vivid portrait of Linnaeus's life and work. Drawing on a wide range of previously unpublished sources—including diaries and personal correspondence—as well as new research, it presents revealing and original accounts of his family life, the political context in which he pursued his work, and his eccentric views on sexuality.The Man Who Organized Nature describes Linnaeus's childhood in a landscape of striking natural beauty and how this influenced his later work. Linnaeus's Lutheran pastor father, knowledgeable about plants and an enthusiastic gardener, helped foster an early interest in botany. The book examines the political connections that helped Linnaeus secure patronage for his work, and untangles his ideas about sexuality. These were not, as often assumed, an attempt to naturalize gender categories but more likely reflected the laissez-faire attitudes of the era. Linnaeus, like many other brilliant scientists, could be moody and egotistical; the book describes his human failings as well as his medical and scientific achievements. Written in an engaging and accessible style, The Man Who Organized Nature—one of the only biographies of Linnaeus to appear in English—provides new and fascinating insights into the life of one of history's most consequential and enigmatic scientists. Cover Contents Preface Who Was He? Part I. A Great Man Can Come from a Small House, 1707–1741 1. The Guardian Tree 2. Studies in Växjö and Lund 3. The Academy in Uppsala 4. In a Mythical Landscape: Lapland 5. Diaeta Naturalis 6. In the Mountains and under the Ground: County Dalarna 7. In the Land of Tulips 8. Nature’s Order 1 9. A Stockholm Interlude Part II. At The Height of the Ages of Man, 1741–1758 10. Uppsala and Enlightenment 11. Three Programmatic Speeches 12. Provincial Travels on Behalf of Parliament 13. A Language in Which Everything Matters Color Plates 14. Flora et Fauna Svecica 15. Family Life 1: Scenes from a Marriage 16. In the Garden, at Herbations, among the Collections 17. Ex Cathedra 18. What Is More Precious than Life, More Pleasing than Health? 19. Academic Amusements 20. Appetite for Work, Weariness, Communication 21. When Linnaeus Wrote, Salvius Printed, and Tessin Bought the Books 22. Linnaeus, “the Sexualist” 23. Curiosity-Driven Research 24. Nature and Culture 25. Entrepreneur and Economist 26. To Describe the World 27. Nature’s Order 2 28. Homo sapiens Part III. The Old Linnaeus, 1758–1778 29. Honors 30. Among Students and among Senior Academics 31. Family Life 2: Hammarby 32. Friends and Enemies 33. Problems 34. A New Synthesis? 35. A Philosopher of Science or a Scientist? 36. The Back of God and God’s Footsteps 37. Nemesis Divina 38. Solomon on Growing Old Epilogue I. Family Life 3: Mother and Child Epilogue II. Linneanism Abbreviations Notes Sources and Literature Index "The Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) is the known as the father of modern biological taxonomy. One of the greatest scientists in history, he formalized and popularized the system of binomial nomenclature and classified thousands of species of plants and animals. In his field, he is so well known that he is often referred to simply as "L." In this comprehensive biography, Linnaeus scholar Gunnar Broberg, draws on a wide range of new research to paint a vivid and intimate portrait of the man. Delving deep into Linnaeus's correspondence and other contemporary sources, Broberg introduces reader's to Linnaeus's family and takes them along on his famous expedition to Lapland. He also investigates the scientist's private thoughts on subjects such as evolution and religion, which often yielded eccentric results. Despite, or perhaps because, of his great achievement, Linnaeus could be moody and egotistical, and this nuanced biography does not shy away from presenting both his scientific achievements and human failings"-- Provided by publisher