With Archie Carr as the focus, this book explores the evolution of the naturalist tradition, biology, and conservation during the twentieth century.
Davis (history, Florida State U.), a student and friend of the scientist, provides a biography of biologist Archie Carr (1909-1987). Carr championed endangered sea turtles, wrote books on their natural history and habitat, studied their ecology and migration, and pioneered conservation biology. The biography, aside from recounting his career and life (including his personality and collaboration with his wife), provides insight on the development of biology in America during the twentieth century. Davis considers Carr's work in the context of the institutional history of the Department of Biology at the U. of Florida and the Museum of Comparative zoology at Harvard, the disciplinary history of herpetology, popular travel narratives, the social history of popular conservation movements, and the naturalist tradition. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Archie Carr, one of the greatest biologists of the twentieth century, played a leading part in finding a new and critical role for natural history and systematics in a post-1950s world dominated by the glamorous science of molecular biology. With the rise of molecular biology came a growing popular awareness of species extinction. Carr championed endangered sea turtles, and his work reflects major shifts in the study of ecology and evolution. A gifted nature writer, his books on the natural history of sea turtles and their habitats in Florida, the Caribbean, and Africa entertained and educated a wide audience. Carr's conservation ethic grew from his field work as well as his friendships with the fishermen who supplied him with many of the stories he retold so engagingly. With Archie Carr as the focus, The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles explores the evolution of the naturalist tradition, biology, and conservation during the twentieth century.
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