Discovering Dorothea: The Life of the Pioneering Fossil-Hunter Dorothea Bate - Brossura

Shindler, Karolyn

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0565094378 ISBN 13: 9780565094379

Casa editrice: Natural History Museum, 2017

Riassunto

In 1898, a 19-year-old girl marched into the Natural History Museum and demanded a job. At the time, no women were employed there as scientists, but for the determined Dorothea Bate this was the first step in an extraordinary career as a pioneering explorer and fossil-hunter and the beginning of an association with the Museum that was to last for more than 50 years. As a young woman she explored the islands of Cyprus, Crete and the little known Majorca and Menorca, braving parental opposition and considerable physical hardship and danger. In remote mountain caves and sea-battered cliffs, she discovered, against enormous odds, the fossil evidence of unique species of extinct fauna, previously unknown to science, including dwarf elephants and hippos, giant dormice and a strange small goat-like antelope. Internationally respected as an outstanding palaeontologist during her lifetime, Dorothea was largely forgotten after her death. Now, working from unpublished letters, papers and work diaries and re-tracing her steps, Karolyn Shindler has rediscovered Dorothea’s life.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'Shindler's wonderment at Dorothea is contagious ... She distils the driven energy, resilience and good-natured charm of this instinctive scientist' --Daily Telegraph

'A splendidly readable and sympathetic account of a life dominated by a singular and singleminded passion.' --Literary Review

'Shindler's excellent book serves to illuminate not only the travails of fieldwork a century ago, but also the problems faced by women seeking to carve out their own intellectual space... A compelling read.' --Richard Fortey, author, 'Earth: An Intimate History'

L'autore:

Karolyn Shindler is a former producer and editor at the BBC. She also worked as a political consultant to BBC World Service, and is a contributor to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Natural History Museum
• Data di pubblicazione: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0565094378
• ISBN 13: 9780565094379
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 390