Reviews for The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley

The average rating for The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-05-15 00:00:00 SunDee Welton Blunt's book is thoroughly researched and with many details, including quotes from Linnaeus's correspondence, giving the flavor of the man. It provides a compleat picture of Linnaeus- ambitious, proud, early struggling for funds, loving friend, happy father, admired professor; even doctor - critical of coffee but fond of tobacco. The book is very readable and anecdotal, as it follows Linnaeus in his travels and career, identifies various plants he discovered or named, and shows the difficulties in finding acceptance for the binomial system. Yet it leaves me with a couple of questions. I would like more explanation as to why the binomial system was so needed at the time. Also, I would like to learn more about the long-term results of these expeditions and discoveries. Did they lead to new plants being introduced, new agricultural methods, new medicines? It's lovely to see the connection across the centuries and continents, that many of the plants we know here in Oregon were described by Linnaeus.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-07-23 00:00:00 Anthony Grazevich An excellent and insightful life of the great man, showing him as an inquisitive, thoughtful, wilful and complex human being. I shared the discomforts of his journey to Lapland, the accolades heaped upon him, the difficult choices he was obliged to make. I finally understood, too, the history of the Linnaean classification system, with the assistance of the helpful appendices. Every aspiring naturalist should read this book to gain both understanding and inspiration.