'Who would have thought that a book about Latin names could be quite so compelling!' Alan Titchmarsh 'Nature writing at its best: insightful, entertaining and often very funny' British Wildlife Latin names - frequently unpronounceable, all too often wrong and always a tiny puzzle to unravel - have been annoying the layman since they first became formalised as scientific terms in the eighteenth century. Why on earth has the entirely land-loving Eastern Mole been named Scalopus aquaticus, or the Oxford Ragwort been called ...
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'Who would have thought that a book about Latin names could be quite so compelling!' Alan Titchmarsh 'Nature writing at its best: insightful, entertaining and often very funny' British Wildlife Latin names - frequently unpronounceable, all too often wrong and always a tiny puzzle to unravel - have been annoying the layman since they first became formalised as scientific terms in the eighteenth century. Why on earth has the entirely land-loving Eastern Mole been named Scalopus aquaticus, or the Oxford Ragwort been called Senecio squalidus - 'dirty old man'? What were naturalists thinking when they called a beetle Agra katewinsletae, a genus of fish Batman, and a Trilobite Han solo? Why is zoology replete with names such as Chloris chloris chloris (the greenfinch), and Gorilla gorilla gorilla (a species of, well gorilla)? The Naming of the Shrew will unveil these mysteries, exploring the history, celebrating their poetic nature and revealing how naturalists sometimes get things so terribly wrong. With wonderfully witty style and captivating narrative, this book will make you see Latin names in a whole new light.
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Add this copy of The Naming of the Shrew: a Curious History of Latin to cart. $12.90, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Add this copy of The Naming of the Shrew: a Curious History of Latin to cart. $38.72, new condition, Sold by Buteo Books California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Rafael, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Bloomsbury.
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Seller's Description:
New. Latin names--frequently unpronounceable, all too often wrong and always a tiny puzzle to unravel--have been annoying the layman since they first became formalized as scientific terms in the eighteenth century. Why on earth has the entirely land-loving Eastern Mole been named Scalopus aquaticus, or the Oxford Ragwort been called Senecio squalidus, 'dirty old man'? What were naturalists thinking when they called a beetle Agra katewinsletae, a genus of fish Batman, and a Trilobite Han solo? Why is zoology replete with names such as Chloris chloris chloris (the greenfinch), and Gorilla gorilla gorilla [a species of, well gorilla]? The Naming of the Shrew will unveil these mysteries, exploring the history, celebrating their poetic nature and revealing how naturalists sometimes get things so terribly wrong. With wonderfully witty style and captivating narrative, this book will make you see Latin names in a whole new light.
Add this copy of The Naming of the Shrew: a Curious History of Latin to cart. $46.15, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Add this copy of The Naming of the Shrew: a Curious History of Latin to cart. $82.47, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
