Not many of us consider nested questions such as the one about the history of “natural history”. Here, as a subject in its own right, is Cultures of Natural History by Nicholas Jardine, J. A. Secord and E. C. Spray (Cambridge University Press, £65/$89.95, ISBN 0 521 45394 1).
Comprising 24 essays, academic writers contemplate the philosophical and cultural implications of changing attitudes to natural history since the Renaissance. A hundred illustrations help you on your way – and you’ll save £40 if you buy the paperback.
