or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
170 used & new from $0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Naturalist
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

Naturalist (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT WE THINK HAPPENED IN DISTANT memory, is built around a small collection of dominating images..." (more)
Key Phrases: sociobiology controversy, human sociobiology, taxon cycle, New Guinea, United States, New York (more...)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
Price: $30.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually ships within 11 to 12 days.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

30 new from $12.98 133 used from $0.01 7 collectible from $28.85

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, July 31, 1994 $30.00 $12.98 $0.01
  Paperback, April 23, 2006 $16.50 $8.05 $7.45
  Audio, Cassette, August 17, 1995 -- -- $34.57

Frequently Bought Together

Naturalist + Microbe Hunters + The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
Price For All Three: $49.58

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: Naturalist by Edward O. Wilson

    Usually ships within 11 to 12 days.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • Microbe Hunters by Paul DeKruif

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Diversity of Life

The Diversity of Life

by Edward O. Wilson
4.4 out of 5 stars (38)  $12.89
On Human Nature: Revised Edition

On Human Nature: Revised Edition

by Edward O. Wilson
4.5 out of 5 stars (39)  $16.92
Nature Revealed: Selected Writings, 1949-2006

Nature Revealed: Selected Writings, 1949-2006

by Edward O. Wilson
4.0 out of 5 stars (4)  $32.00
Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge

Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge

by Edward O. Wilson
3.9 out of 5 stars (153)  $10.88
Biophilia

Biophilia

by Edward O. Wilson
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  $17.52
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edward O. Wilson--Harvard University professor, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, champion of biodiversity--is arguably one of the most important thinkers of the Twentieth century. In this autobiography, Wilson describes for the first time both his growth as a scientist and the evolution of the science he has helped define. "One of the greatest scientific autobiographies ever written." --Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams


From Publishers Weekly

"Most children have a bug period," writes the author. "I never grew out of mine." Winner of two Pulitzer prizes, pioneer in sociobiology, distinguished entomologist and teacher, Wilson has written an absorbing memoir that charts his development as a scientist. From the age of seven, he wanted to be a naturalist; an accident that left him blind in one eye determined his field, and he settled on ants. Wilson recounts with affection his student days at the University of Alabama. In 1951 he enrolled at Harvard to complete his Ph.D.; there he began to study the evolution of social ecology among animals. Memorable field trips-to Cuba, Central America, the South Pacific-led him into new disciplines (biogeography and biodiversity). Noting that he has been "blessed with brilliant enemies," he gives a lively account of academic infighting between molecular (James Watson of DNA fame) and evolutionary biologists during the 1960s. Wilson discusses his collaboration with Bert Holldobler and the controversy that arose from the publication of Sociobiology: The New Synthesis in 1975. Wilson's memoir gives a rare glimpse into the evolution of scientific theory. 40,000 first printing.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (August 1, 1994)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1559632887
  • ISBN-13: 978-1559632881
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #600,958 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Edward O. Wilson
Edward O. Wilson
Laura Simonds Southworth
Laura Simonds Southworth

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence:
WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT WE THINK HAPPENED IN DISTANT memory, is built around a small collection of dominating images. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sociobiology controversy, human sociobiology, taxon cycle, ant fauna, ant species, imported fire ant, character displacement
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Guinea, United States, New York, Florida Keys, University of Alabama, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Mother Raub, New Caledonia, North America, National Museum, South Pacific, Ernst Mayr, Paradise Beach, Bert Hölldobler, Boy Scout, Gulf Coast Military Academy, Harvard University Press, Sociobiology Study Group, Spring Hill, Charleston Street, Department of Biology, Florida Bay, South America, Thomas River, West Indies
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 46 books:
See all 46 books this book cites

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Naturalist
82% buy the item featured on this page:
Naturalist 4.4 out of 5 stars (15)
$30.00
On Human Nature: Revised Edition
7% buy
On Human Nature: Revised Edition 4.5 out of 5 stars (39)
$16.92
The Diversity of Life
5% buy
The Diversity of Life 4.4 out of 5 stars (38)
$12.89
The Future of Life
4% buy
The Future of Life 4.3 out of 5 stars (65)
$10.20
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, September 2, 2002
This review is from: Naturalist (Audio Cassette)
An engaging and well-written account of the famous biologist's intellectual development from his early to his mature years and most important achievements. Nice discussions of some of his most interesting and important ideas punctuate this history. For example, there's a good section on the origin and development of his ecological ideas and the theory of island biogeography. Wilson is always a cautious but careful writer and thinker, but in a couple of the sections, he gets at least a little bit speculative and is all the more entertaining for it. For example, his discussion of the innateness of our fear of spiders and snakes is entertaining (Wilson himself is very phobic about spiders). Equally entertaining is the section where he discusses people's preference for a particular type of environment or ecology (subalpine or montane foothills parkland or partially wooded savannah with some lakes). Wilson attributes this to it being the environment where we originally evolved. Overall it counts as one of the best scientific biographies I've ever read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration for young scientists, August 30, 2000
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
How far have city-bred enterprises removed us from our natural heritage? E.O. Wilson, author of so many wonderful ideas and books, has here revealed himself as a human being of immense strength and courtly self-awareness. Sharing with us so many aspects of his personal life and scientific endeavors, Wilson shows how a bit of dedication can overcome obstacles most of us find daunting. Raised in the rural South, losing the sight of one eye, his struggles to gain a place as a scientist are inspiring. More importantly, he makes clear how much remains to be done by the upcoming generations in determining our true place in the natural order. This work is a clarion call for aspiring young scientists to enter research, following paths similar to his own.

The editorial reviews here focus overmuch on the sociobiology 'controversy'. Sociobiology is a major thesis in examining humanity's place in nature. Rejecting this idea out of hand continues to impair understanding of how important an idea sociobiology is, although he spends little time on it in this book. Much of his work has focussed on animal behaviour from ants through mammals. People remain resistant to the idea that we are somehow associated with 'the beasts', but Wilson demonstrates the continuity of behaviour patterns throughout the animal kingdom. Until we address that issue honestly, which is a major aspect of Wilson's work, we will never understand who we truly are. His studies stress that until we achieve that understanding, we will continue to unwittingly intrude on our own environment. The loss of species threatens our own existence.

The major advantage of this book is its honesty. Wilson pulls few punches and reviews his own prejudices and how he overcame them. He demonstrates how important this self assessment is to scientists and the public alike. The growth of understanding of genetics has impacted all biology. Wilson relates candidly his own grudging acceptance of the new ideas genetic research have given us. He's to be commended for both his candor and flexibility.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most interesting autobiographies ever, July 2, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Naturalist (Paperback)
To me, it looks as if Wilson turned to be a great scientist against all odds. He did not come from the academic royalty, but from a broken family in Alabama. With strong intuition, lot of hard work and endless enthusiasm, he became one of the great scientists of the 20th century. A well written book, that would probably change the course of my life have I read it at the right age...
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Wilson delivers a compelling and inspirational account of his scientific career from age 5 onward, and some touching personal details explaining what drew him to nature. Read more
Published on October 16, 2007 by E. Havstad

1.0 out of 5 stars Wilson's Paradox
Edward Wilson's works unravel of their own accord.

He tells us that human beings do not have free will. Read more
Published on November 4, 2005 by Barry B. Anderberg

3.0 out of 5 stars more for the specialist.
This autobiography is more for the professional biological scientist, who should really enjoy the detailed description of the many field works of the author. Read more
Published on August 27, 2002 by Luc REYNAERT

5.0 out of 5 stars An inside look at a true scientist
This book gives one a real sense of what the natural world is like through the eyes of a very influential naturalist. This book follows the life of E.O. Read more
Published on September 27, 2000 by C. Nolte

4.0 out of 5 stars You will look at the world differently
even if you got C's in biology after reading this biography of a warm and gentle man who states somewhere that most of us go through a bug period, but that he never outgrew his... Read more
Published on August 26, 2000 by Maureen

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Late Than Never
I had always thought a scientist of the calibre of Dr. E. O. Wilson was perhaps out of my league; I'd partly read his Diversity of Life and perhaps got the most out of it by... Read more
Published on August 18, 2000 by Dwight D. Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars _Little House in the Big Woods_ for Adults
Reading this book at age 16 made me feel the same way reading _Little House in the Big Woods_ did at age 9. Something about it is very warm and comforting. Read more
Published on December 6, 1999 by janepain

5.0 out of 5 stars So I wasn't that strange as a kid after all...
This autobiography of one of world's foremost biogeographers and proponents of the conservation of biodiversity should be read by every undergraduate and graduate biology student... Read more
Published on May 14, 1999 by Alan R. Holyoak

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
We had to read a biography for Language Arts, so I choose this one. It is so cool. Read it!
Published on March 10, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing and exciting story of a working scientist
This elgant charmingly written book is the scientific autobiogaphy of Edward O. Wilson, preeminent naturalist and thinker. Read more
Published on August 23, 1998 by Ruth Lambert

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:

















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.