Description
Book SynopsisThe Flowering of Ecology presents an English translation of Maria Sibylla Merian’s 1679 ‘caterpillar’ book, Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung und sonderbare Blumen–Nahrung. Her processes in making the book and an analysis of its scientific content are presented in a historical context. Merian raised insects for five decades, recording the food plants, behavior and ecology of roughly 300 species. Her most influential invention was an 'ecological' composition in which the metamorphic cycles of insects (usually moths and butterflies) were arrayed around plants that served as food for the caterpillars. Kay Etheridge analyzes the 1679 caterpillar book from the viewpoint of a biologist, arguing that Merian’s study of insect interactions with plants, the first of its kind, was a formative contribution to natural history. Read Kay Etheridge’s blogpost on “Art Herstory”. See inside the book.
Trade ReviewIt is hard to choose between superlatives with which to characterize this modestly sized but highly significant volume. Focusing on one of best-known names in the history of natural history at the turn of the eighteenth century, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), it demonstrates that even the esteem in which she has been held fails to recognize the extent of her originality. Arthur MacGregor, Archives of Natural History 49.1 (2022): 224 "Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students and faculty. General readers." --A. L. Jacobsen (California State University, Bakersfield ), June 2022 issue of CHOICE "[...] after years of distortion, in the past few decades, her real contributions to entomology have started to come into view. The Flowering of Ecology: Maria Sibylla Merian’s Caterpillar Book by Kay Etheridge, with translations by Michael Ritterson, is a significant contribution to this effort." --Kim Todd (University of Minnesota), EMW Vol. 16 No. 2 • Spring 2022, 351-353
Table of ContentsForeword Brian Ogilvie Preface Acknowledgments List of Illustrations part 1: The Flowering of Ecology 1 Before the Transformation Introduction Art and Science Intertwined Drawings/Manuscripts Still Life Painting Finding God in Nature Natural History of Insects in Printed Works Publishing Illustrated Natural History Books Studies of Metamorphosis 2 A Life Investigated Growing up in Frankfurt am Main Early Fascination with Insects Marriage and the Move to Nuremberg The Flower Books Beginnings of the Raupen Books Merian’s Motivations 3 Described and Painted from Life Fieldwork: The Basis of Merian’s Empirical Studies Laboratory Work Merian’s Study Journal Merian’s Other Sources of Information Illustrating the Raupen Book Composing the Images Making the Plates Merian’s Counterproofs Composing the Text of Her Book Financing, Printing and Marketing the Raupen Book 4 For the Benefit of Naturalists The Rupsen Books The Last Caterpillar Book Later Editions and Their Lasting Effects Recognition and Reception by Near Contemporaries Merian’s Influence on Natural History Merian’s Reputation as a Naturalist part 2: Plates, Translation and Commentary Maria Sibylla Merian’s Caterpillar Book Appendix: Translation of Selected Entries from Maria Sibylla Merian’s Study Journal Bibliography Index
