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An excerpt from Richard Milner's book "Darwin's Universe: Evolution from A to Z" (University of California Press, 2009) can be downloaded here:- http://ncse.com/news/2010/08/chance-to-explore-darwins-universe-005913 It includes one of the very best 'capsule biographies' of Wallace I have seen, which I have copied below. If the rest of the book is as good as this then it would be well worth buying!
"WALLACE , ALFRED RUSSEL (1823–1913)
There are several things I would like to tell you about, and since each item is not long enough for a whole blog post I have decided to combine them all into one.
The campaign to protect Wallace's birthplace near Usk in Wales has been given a new impetus by a Professor from Cardiff University, David Lloyd. David recently sent the message below urging everyone interested in the house to email Cadw and ask them to reconsider their unfortunate decision not to give the house legal protection (also see http://gwentbirding.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-on-wallaces-gaff.html). The aim is to convince Cadw to give the building protection by officially 'listing' it.
THE Sarawak Government plans to erect a memorial at Santubong in honour of naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who had contributed greatly to Sarawak’s natural history collections.
A Portuguese version of the successful English language play “You Should ask Wallace” by Welsh theatre company Theatr na n’Ó was launched at the Museum of Life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 9th of June 2010. There will be performances on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10.30 and 13.30 during June and July, plus performances on two Saturdays: 26th June and 37st July at 14.00 h.
A description of the play is as follows:-
A news item about the sale of Wallace's birthplace in Usk, Wales appeared on the BBC Wales website today - see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east_wales/10284689.stm or the copy of the article below. The BBC interviewed a representative from Cadw ("the official guardian of the built heritage of Wales") who said that ..."it was decided not to list [i.e.
I have just received the disappointing news from Nick Ramsay, Welsh National Assembly member for Monmouthshire, that CADW ("the official guardian of the built heritage of Wales"), the Welsh Assembly Government and the National Trust have all individually decided not to attempt to officially protect Kensington House, the birthplace of A. R.
In last night's episode of the British TV company Channel4's series "Genius of Britain" (episode 3) Richard Dawkins gave a brief but good biography of Wallace and an account of the events surrounding Wallace's independent discovery of natural selection and the co-publication of this theory with Charles Darwin (to watch it click here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/genius-of-britain/episode-guide/series-1/episode-3).
I am very pleased to see that Indonesia is continuing to promote Wallace - especially his historic link to the island of Ternate (i.e. the island he posted his essay on natural selection to Darwin from in 1858). See below for a news report, which can also be read in its original form HERE.
Prof. Ildeu Moreira, Director of the Department for the Popularization of Science & Technology in the Ministry of S & T in Brazil, informs me that a new exhibition about Wallace and Darwin has just opened at the Museu de Vida (Museum of Life) in Rio, which his wife Luisa Massarani is the Director of. The exhibition focuses on the time that Wallace and Darwin spent in Brazil, and refreshingly, both great men are given equal coverage.
