For many years after its first publication in 1690, John Ray’s Synopsis methodica Stirpium Britannicarum was the most consulted book about British plants, the pocket companion of British apothecaries, physicians and country gentlemen on their field excursions. Linnaeus gained most of his knowledge of the British flora from the third edition (1724), revised by Dillenius, here reproduced in  facsimile, and he based his dissertation Flora Anglica (1754 and 1759), also reproduced here in facsimile, on this work. Linnaeus’s introduction of consistent binomial nomenclature for species in 1753 made Ray’s names archaic and obsolete; nevertheless botanists continued to consult the Synopsis for information during the next 50 years. Thus it has acquired a lasting scientific value, particularly for cryptogamists.To the modern British floristic botanist this standard handbook of  his predecessors has a sentimental and often sad interest. It records the plants of a vanished England, of the country before the enclosure of common land, drainage of marshland, and urban and industrial development. For writers of local Floras, Ray’s Synopsis is often a primary source of historical information.The introduction by W. T. Stearn to these facsimiles includes an account of Ray’s career, details of the editions of the Synopsis and of the contributors to it, and other information, such as Latin words indicative of habitat, to aid its use. J. E. Dandy has contributed a revision of the nomenclature of Linnaeus’s Flora Anglica.

Synopsis Methodica Stirpium Britannicarum (Ray Society)

Science & Math

RAY, John

Biological Sciences

Ray Society

British Spiders:Volume III (v. 3)

Locket, G H

Although this book emphasizes a segment of British fauna, the author has written it as an introduction to parasitic Copepoda in general. The book discusses them as part of the order of Copepoda and examines the evolutionary impact exerted by parasitism on copepod morphology.

Parasitic Copepoda of British Fishes (Ray Society Publications)

Kabata, Zbigniew

British Prosobranch Molluscs

Graham, Alastair

Fretter, Vera

WILLIAM TURNER (c. 1508-68), clergyman, physician, herbalist and naturalist, has long been honoured as the 'father of British botany', being 'unquestionably the earliest writer among us that discovered learning and critical judgment in the study of plants.' His Libellus de Re herbaria (1538) and Names of Herbes (1548) are the first two printed books relating to the British flora which have any claim to originality. Both are now extremely rare books. Only one copy of the Libellus and less than ten of the Names of Herbes are known to be extant. Probably few copies were printed and their format was too humble to ensure careful preservation; moreover some may have perished during Turner's periods of exile from England when the government banned his theological works and ordered their destruction. They contain the first records of the occurrence of many plants in England, together with their vernacular English names. Some now current vernacular names were here introduced by Turner. The aim of the present Ray Society volume is to make these rare and historically interesting pioneer works available in facsimile to all who are interested in the British flora. It includes contributions by B. Daydon Jackson and James Britten published in 1877 and 1882; the nomenclature of their identifications of Turner's plants has been revised by J. E. Dandy and W. T. Steam.

Libellus De Re Herbaria 1538 (Ray Society)

Turner, William

This book is a facsimile of the original 1675 edition.

Dictionariolum Trilingue (Ray Society)

Reference

Dictionaries & Thesauruses

Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne 1813 (Ray Society Publications)

History

WHITE, Gilbert

Europe

This work is a remarkable and unique compilation of the genus Littorina, based on both original research and bibliography of almost 1500 references. The author describes the evolution of Littorina and shows how the genus emerges as a model case history of the evolutionary radiation of a widespread, ecologically successful group of temperate marine invertebrates.

Systematics and Evolution of Littorina (Ray Society Publications)

Reid, David G.

<p>This two-volume work provides a family-by family account of all copepods. It is designed to provide an overview of the entire group from marine plankton to subterranean forms and from parasites to minute inhabitants of the interstitial spaces between sediments particles. Above all, this work will enable the reader to identify copepods to the genus-level in the vast majority of cases and will provide entry into the biological literature.</p>

An An Introduction to Copepod Diversity (Ray Society)

Boxhall, Geoffrey A.

William Elford Leach was one of the world's leading zoologists. He prepared the way to make Britain the birthplace of Natural Selection, then he sank silently from view, all but forgotten for two hundred years. This is the story of him and his family.

Rifle-Green by Nature: A Regency Naturalist and his Family, William Elford Leach (Ray Society Publications)

Biographies & Memoirs

SMITH, Eric

Harrison, Keith

Professionals & Academics

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Ray Society publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ray Society