The Arctic Journal of Captain Henry Wemyss Feilden R. A. The Naturalist in H. M. S. Alert 1875-1876 The British Arctic Expedition of 1875–6 was the first major British naval expedition to the high Arctic where science was almost as important as geographical exploration. There were hopes that the expedition might find the hypothetical open polar sea and with it the longed-for Northwest Passage and it did reach the highest northern latitude to date. The Royal Society compiled instructions for the expedition and selected two full-time naturalists (an unusual naval concession to science) of whom one Henry Wemyss Feilden proved a worthy choice. Feilden was a soldier who fought in most of the wars in his lifetime including the American Civil War on the Confederate side. On board HMS Alert he kept a daily journal a record important for its scientific content but also as a view of the expedition as seen by a soldier revealing admiration and appreciation for his naval colleagues; he performed whatever tasks were given to him including the rescue of returning sledge parties stricken by scurvy. He also did a remarkably comprehensive job in mapping the geology of Smith Sound; some of his work on the Cape Rawson Beds was the most reliable until the 1950s. He was an all-round naturalist and a particularly fine geologist and ornithologist. He was not just a collector; he pondered the significance of his findings within the context of the best modern science of his day: in zoology Charles Darwin on evolution; in botany Hooker on phytogeography and in geology Charles Lyell’s system. He illustrated his journal with his own sketches and also enclosed the printed programmes of popular entertainments held on the ship and verses for birthdays and sledging (there was a printing press onboard). The journal gives a vigorous impression of a ship’s company well occupied through the winter then increasingly active in sledging and geographical discovery in spring before the scurvy-induced decision to head home in the summer of 1876. After his return Feilden had dealings with many scientists and their institutions finding homes for and meaning in his collections. | The Arctic Journal of Captain Henry Wemyss Feilden R. A. The Naturalist in H. M. S. Alert 1875-1876 GBP 130.00 1
Possible Worlds Haldane advanced genetics population biology and evolutionary theory. This volume emphasizes important developments in natural sciences in the early-20th century. It describes Haldane's views on society art religion and economy as seen through the eyes of a politically alert major scientist. | Possible Worlds GBP 145.00 1
Understanding GMDSS This is the first book to cover the Global Marine Distress and Safety System (GDMSS) in a comprehensive and readable way. GDMSS is now being developed to provide a new global communications and locating network to alert search and rescue services and all students of navigation or maritime technology and practising navigation officers will need to be trained in its use. This accessible reference textbook provides students and new radio operators with all the knowledge necessary for a complete understanding of GMDSS and its related systems. | Understanding GMDSS GBP 175.00 1