Versandbuchhandlung Dr. Frank Rudolph

Often regarded as the ‘Cinderella’ of palaeontological studies, palaeobotany has a history that contains some fascinating insights into scientific endeavour, especially by palaeontologists who were perusing a personal interest rather than a career. The problems of maintaining research facilities in universities, especially in the modern era, are described and reveal a noticeable absence of a national UK strategy to preserve centres of excellence in an avowedly specialist area. Accounts of some of the pioneers demonstrate the importance of collaboration between taxonomists and illustrators. The importance of palaeobotany in the rise of geoconservation is outlined, as well as the significant and influential role of women in the discipline. Although this volume has a predominantly UK focus, two very interesting studies outline the history of palaeobotanical work in Argentina and China.

Contents: History of Palaeobotany: an Introduction, A J Bowden, C V Burek and R Wilding • The Beginnings • From the rise of the Enlightenment to the beginnings of Romanticism, R Wilding • The Moravian Minister Rev. Henry Steinhauer (1782-1818); his work on fossil plants, their first 'scientific' description and the planned Mineral Botany, H S Torrens • The early 19th century• John Lindley, the reluctant palaeobotanist, W G Chaloner and H L Pearson • Illustrations and illustrations during the 'Golden Age' of palaeobotany: 1800-1840, C J Cleal, M Lazarus and A Townsend • The later 19th century and into the 20th century • Hugh Miller: introducing palaeobotany to a wider audience, L I Anderson • Baron Achille de Zigno: an Italian palaeobotanist of the 19th century, H L Pearson • The palaeobotanical beginnings of geological conservation: with case studies from the USA, Canada and Great Britain, B A Thomas • Palaeobotanical studies and collecting in the 19th century with particular reference to the Ravenhead Collection and Henry Hugh Higgins, W Simkiss and A J Bowden • The palaeobotanical work of Marie Stopes, W G Chaloner • James Lomax (1857-1934): palaeobotanical catalyst or hindrance? A C Howell • D.H. Scott and A.C Seward: modern pioneers in the structure and architecture of fossil plants, R Wilding • Arthur Raistrick: Britain's premier palynologist, J E A Marshall • The life and work of Emily Dix (1904-1972), C V Burek and C J Cleal • The fate of three university schools of palaeobotany/palynology • The 'other' Glasgow Boys: the rise and fall of a school of palaeobotany, J J Liston and H L Sanders • One hundred and fifty years of Palaeobotany at Manchester University, J Watson • Half a century of palynology at the University of Sheffield, C H Wellman • From other continents • The history of palaeobotany in Argentina during the 19th century, E G Ottone • The rise of Chinese palaeobotany emphasizing the global context, Q G Sun •

Die 1886 in Danzig erschienene Monographie über die Blütenpflanzen im Baltischen Bernstein gehört zu den Klassikern wissenschaftlicher Literatur in der Botanik. Der Verfasser beschreibt 78 Arten aus 43 Familien, mit Diagnosen - wie es damals üblich war - in lateinischer Sprache. Ein derart umfassendes Werk eines Einzelnen, dessen Systematik noch immer seine Gültigkeit hat, wäre in heutiger Zeit kaum denkbar. Schon die 13 fantastischen lithographischen Farbtafeln mit den Bernsteinstücken in Originalgröße sind es wert, für die Nachwelt bewahrt zu werden. Das bedeutende Werk, das seit langem vergriffen war, erfährt durch diesen Nachdruck die ihm gebührende Würdigung.