About the author
Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was an English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection; his 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's writings on the topic. It spurred Darwin to set aside the "big species book" he was drafting and to quickly write an abstract of it, which was published in 1859 as On the Origin of Species. Wallace did extensive fieldwork, starting in the Amazon River basin. He then did fieldwork in the Malay Archipelago, where he identified the faunal divide now termed the Wallace Line, which separates the Indonesian archipelago into two distinct parts: a western portion in which the animals are largely of Asian origin, and an eastern portion where the fauna reflect Australasia. He was considered the 19th century's leading expert on the geographical distribution of animal species, and is sometimes called the "father of biogeography", or more specifically of zoogeography.
📖 Where to start with Alfred Russel Wallace
💬 What our editors say about Alfred Russel Wallace's books
“Wallace’s work stands as a testament to intellectual courage, yet it may not suit readers seeking definitive proof or those strictly adhering to rigid materialism. The text is dense with the author's personal grappling rather…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on On Miracles&Mod Spiritualsm V5 Wallace, Alfred Russel
“Wallace’s text stands as a monumental attempt to bridge the gap between natural selection theory and spiritualist phenomena. While his dedication to empirical investigation is admirable, the book may not suit readers strictly…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on On Miracles and Modern Spiritualism Wallace, Alfred Russel
