George Bentham

by Bentham, George; Filipiuk, Marion

• ISBN13: 9780802007919
• ISBN10: 0802007910
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-12-01
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr

Summary

In this autobiography of his early life (1800-1834), George Bentham, nephew of the great Utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham, offers a lively depiction of the times, both in England and on the Continent, particularly of post-Napoleonic France, where he lived with his family for twelve years. Returning to London as his uncle Jeremy's assistant, he recounts his experiences in this role and his encounters with many of the leading, and the rising, figures of the day, such as Alexander von Humboldt and John Stuart Mill. An emerging figure himself in the field of botany - where he would prove to be one of the great taxonomists of the century - George Bentham worked creatively for the scientific societies he joined, activity that culminated in his becoming an unofficial ambassodor-at-large at scientific congresses in Europe in the 1830s, which he describes in enthusiastic detail. The text of the manuscript, preserved in the Archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is published here for the first time, with an introduction providing historical context, explanatory notes, and indexes of plant names and of persons and works mentioned. A fascinating story in itself, this autobiography provides a new resource for Utilitarian studies and for historians of science.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Autobiography	3	(436)
1 Childhood; St Petersburg, Hampstead, Gosport	3	(12)
2 France, Saumur to Toulouse, 1814-18	15	(36)
3 Mountauban to Montpellier, 1818-22	51	(47)
4 A Visit to England, 1823	98	(55)
5 A Tour in Scotland and the Lake District	153	(55)
6 France again; Botanizing in the Pyrenees, 1823-25	208	(26)
7 Return to England, 1826-27	234	(46)
8 London Society; Further Travel, 1827-28	280	(44)
9 Legal Studies and Botanical Pursuits, 1829-30	324	(39)
10 Death of His Father; Montpellier and Geneva, 1831	363	(19)
11 Death of His Uncle; Congress at Vienna, 1832	382	(33)
12 Marraige; and Botany at Last, 1833-34	415	(24)
List of Abbreviations	439	(2)
Notes	441	(74)
Appendices	515
A Textual Emendations	515	(4)
B Textual Variants and Notes	519	(6)
C Index of Plant Names	525	(5)
D Index of Persons and Works	530