A Glorious Enterprise : The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Making of American Science

Peck, Robert McCracken/ Stroud, Patricia Tyson/ Purcell, Rosamond (PHT)

University of Pennsylvania Press（2012/03発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 277 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780812243802
• DDC分類 508.74811

Full Description

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia stands today as the oldest natural history museum in the Western hemisphere. Early expeditions organized at the Academy were of central importance to the exploration of America's western wilderness, and the plant and animal specimens that were brought back formed the foundation of a collection that today contains some eighteen million items. What began as a small gathering of devoted amateurs has grown into a vibrant international center for scientific education and research.
A Glorious Enterprise, the first complete history of the Academy, tells the story of the brilliant and passionate men and women who endeavored to acquire and disseminate knowledge of the natural world. Thomas Jefferson, John James Audubon, Robert Peary, Ernest Hemingway, and James Bond are just a few of the colorful Academy associates profiled in this lively narrative. Naturalist and historian Robert McCracken Peck and historical biographer Patricia Tyson Stroud take readers behind the scenes of the Academy, recounting the signal moments and achievements that shaped its first two hundred years-from its landmark discoveries in North America and around the world, through the construction of its famed dioramas in the 1930s, to the pioneering work of Academy scientists in water pollution and conservation long before these were topics of popular concern. The book is richly illustrated throughout with hundreds of archival images and stunningly original works by acclaimed photographer Rosamond Purcell that cast specimens from the Academy's collections in a new light.
Like Academy members on a quest for wondrous specimens, lovers of the sciences, American history, museums, and libraries will want to add A Glorious Enterprise to their collections. Filled with lively anecdotes, captivating biographical details, and fascinating facts, this beautiful and enlightening history will be treasured for years to come.

Contents

Preface
Chapter 1. A Gathering of Gentlemen: The Founding and Early Years
Chapter 2. The Lure of the West: Exploration and Exodus
Chapter 3. A Widening Sphere
Chapter 4. The American Woodsman Comes Calling: John James Audubon and the Academy
Chapter 5. The American Golgotha: Defining Race in the Early Republic
Chapter 6. Gorillas Grab the Limelight: Paul Du Chaillu, John Cassin, and the Professionalization of Science
Chapter 7. The Marvelous Bipedal Masterpiece: Religion, Politics, and Public Display
Chapter 8. Fossils, Finders, and Feuds: Leidy, Hayden, Cope, and Marsh
Chapter 9. "I Must Have Fame": Robert Peary Explores the Arctic
Chapter 10. Early Man at the Academy
Chapter 11. Volcanoes to Caverns: Exploring for Minerals
Chapter 12. Academy Expeditions, 1928 to 1960
Chapter 13. Dioramas Defy the Great Depression
Chapter 14. Science and Celebrity: The Academy Goes Hollywood
Chapter 15. Visions in Microscopes: Water Quality and the Environment
Chapter 16. Regrouping and Looking Forward in the Postwar Years
Chapter 17. Reaching Out: Festivals and Friends
Chapter 18. The Academy's "Glorious Enterprise" Completes Its Second Century
Milestones in the Academy's History
Presidents of the Academy of Natural Sciences
Trustees of the Academy of Natural Sciences
Awards and Medals
Acknowledgments
Index