Ray Society
Encyclopedia
The Ray Society was instituted in 1844 and named after John Ray
, the 17th century naturalist, as a scientific publishing organization whose activities are devoted mainly to the British flora and fauna. So far the Ray Society has published 169 volumes. For the most part, these are academic works which are of particular interest to naturalists, zoologists, botanists and collectors.
The Ray Society's books are concerned with natural history, and have special but not exclusive reference to the British flora and fauna. The Society's works are original monographs on particular groups and topics, facsimiles of historically important volumes and translations of existing works. Manuscripts or proposals for books may be submitted to the Honorary Secretary of the Society. These should be complete treatments of a particular subject and should not form part of a series of books on a particular group or topic. Manuscripts which are being considered by the Society should not be under consideration elsewhere.
During Charles Darwin
's lifetime, the Ray Society published not only Darwin's two volumes on barnacles (1851 and 1853) but also the work of many of the foremost British naturalists: Thomas Henry Huxley, William Crawford Williamson
, John Blackwall
, Albert Günther, James Scott Bowerbank
, etc.
John Ray
John Ray was an English naturalist, sometimes referred to as the father of English natural history. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him".He published important works on botany,...
, the 17th century naturalist, as a scientific publishing organization whose activities are devoted mainly to the British flora and fauna. So far the Ray Society has published 169 volumes. For the most part, these are academic works which are of particular interest to naturalists, zoologists, botanists and collectors.
The Ray Society's books are concerned with natural history, and have special but not exclusive reference to the British flora and fauna. The Society's works are original monographs on particular groups and topics, facsimiles of historically important volumes and translations of existing works. Manuscripts or proposals for books may be submitted to the Honorary Secretary of the Society. These should be complete treatments of a particular subject and should not form part of a series of books on a particular group or topic. Manuscripts which are being considered by the Society should not be under consideration elsewhere.
During Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's lifetime, the Ray Society published not only Darwin's two volumes on barnacles (1851 and 1853) but also the work of many of the foremost British naturalists: Thomas Henry Huxley, William Crawford Williamson
William Crawford Williamson
William Crawford Williamson was an English naturalist and palaeobotanist.-Life:Williamson was born at Scarborough, North Yorkshire. His father, John Williamson, after beginning life as a gardener, became a well-known local naturalist, who, in conjunction with William Bean, first explored the rich...
, John Blackwall
John Blackwall
John Blackwall was a British naturalist.Blackwall lived at Hendre House near Llanrwst in north Wales from 1833 until his death...
, Albert Günther, James Scott Bowerbank
James Scott Bowerbank
James Scott Bowerbank FRS was a British naturalist and palaeontologist.-Biography:Bowerbank was born in Bishopsgate, London, and succeeded in conjunction with his brother to his father's distillery, in which he was actively engaged until 1847.In early years astronomy and natural history,...
, etc.