Bright Paradise: Victorian Scientific Travellers

Description

Inspired by Darwin and his voyages on the "Beagle", a new generation of naturalists and scientists set out from Britain to explore tropical forests and mountain ranges. Some of them were entrepreneurs - many were dependent on selling their specimens to finance their trips - but they were also scrupulous and sensitive observers. This book traces some of the extraordinary journeys of these Victorian travellers.

Peter Raby lectures in Drama and English at Homerton College, Cambridge. His books include Fair Ophelia- A Life of Harriet Smithson Berlioz, Oscar Wilde, and the highly acclaimed biography Samuel Butler. He lives with his wife and family in a village on the edge of the fens.

Lucid...fast-moving...skillful * Literary Review * Enthusiastic, informed and racy, this is one of the most invigorating accounts of the exploits of people from an age whose intrepidity is staggering * Scotland on Sunday * Excellent * Daily Telegraph *