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Having acquired a Shakespeare folio for a few shillings,
anthropologist Daniel Wilson (1816-92) found in The Tempest a
source of scientific intrigue. Writing more than two hundred years
before Darwin propounded his theory of evolution, in his final play
Shakespeare had created a missing link caught between the animal
and the human. In this monograph, first published in 1873, Wilson
uses the strange and unfortunate character of Caliban as a means
through which to explore the principles of evolution. He traces
many of the play's plot devices back to real events that perhaps
inspired them - from storms in Bermuda to records of semi-human
creatures around the world - and brings literary commentary into
science as he links the relationships set out in the play to
anthropological principles. This interdisciplinary approach makes
the book both an entertaining exegesis of the play and a uniquely
accessible explanation of contemporary scientific theories.
Born in Edinburgh, Daniel Wilson (1816-92) initially pursued an
artistic career and spent time in Turner's studio. However, in 1846
he became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and
devoted the rest of his life to archaeology, anthropology and
university administration. He was active in the Society's attempts
to save historic buildings in Edinburgh, and the city's built
environment was the subject of this two-volume 1848 work, which is
illustrated with engravings after his own drawings. In Volume 1,
Wilson begins by tracing the city's history from earliest times.
The latter part of the volume covers local antiquities and
traditions, with each chapter looking at a different area of the
Old Town. The historical detail, with references, is immense, and
Wilson's enthusiasm for his city is evident throughout. His second
major work, the landmark Prehistoric Annals of Scotland (second
edition, 1863), is also reissued in this series.
Born in Edinburgh, Daniel Wilson (1816-92) initially pursued an
artistic career and spent time in Turner's studio. However, in 1846
he became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and
devoted the rest of his life to archaeology, anthropology and
university administration. He was active in the Society's attempts
to save historic buildings in Edinburgh, and the city's built
environment was the subject of this two-volume 1848 work, which is
illustrated with engravings after his own drawings. In Volume 2,
Wilson continues to cover local antiquities and traditions, with
each chapter looking at a different area of the Old Town. Leith,
the New Town, and ecclesiastical buildings are also discussed. The
historical detail, with references, is immense, and Wilson's
enthusiasm for his city is evident throughout. Wilson's second
major work, the landmark Prehistoric Annals of Scotland (second
edition, 1863), is also reissued in this series.
Born in Edinburgh, Daniel Wilson (1816 92) planned on becoming a
painter and spent time working in Turner's studio. But in 1842 he
became secretary of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland and
devoted the rest of his life to archaeology, anthropology and
university administration. This two-volume work, first published in
1851, brought him to immediate academic attention. Carrying out
pioneering work of scientific archaeology, Wilson brought the very
word 'prehistoric' into use in English for the first time. And
although a devout Christian, he accepted the theory of evolution,
unlike many of his contemporaries. Split into four periods, the
work is richly illustrated, with many of the illustrations created
by the author himself. For this second edition, published in 1863,
Wilson updated his work to reflect recent discoveries. Volume 1
looks at the earliest human settlers up to the Bronze Age.
Born in Edinburgh, Daniel Wilson (1816 92) planned on becoming a
painter and spent time working in Turner's studio. But in 1842 he
became secretary of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland and
devoted the rest of his life to archaeology, anthropology and
university administration. This two-volume work, first published in
1851, brought him to immediate academic attention. Carrying out
pioneering work of scientific archaeology, Wilson brought the very
word 'prehistoric' into use in English for the first time. And
although a devout Christian, he accepted the theory of evolution,
unlike many of his contemporaries. Split into four periods, the
work is richly illustrated, with many of the illustrations created
by the author himself. For this second edition, published in 1863,
Wilson updated his work to reflect recent discoveries. Volume 2
continues through the Roman and early Christian periods.
The Scottish archaeologist and anthropologist Daniel Wilson (1816
92) spent the latter part of his life in Canada. Published in 1862,
this is a seminal work in the study of early man in which Wilson
utilises studies of native tribes 'still seen there in a condition
which seems to reproduce some of the most familiar phases ascribed
to the infancy of the unhistoric world'. He believed that
civilisations initially developed in mild climates and judged the
Mayans to have been the most advanced civilisation in the New
World. Twentieth-century anthropologist Bruce Trigger argued that
Wilson 'interpreted evidence about human behaviour in a way that is
far more in accord with modern thinking than are the racist views
of Darwin and Lubbock', and it is in this light that this
two-volume work can be judged. Volume 1 covers such important areas
as the development and use of metals and 'the architectural
instinct'.
The Scottish archaeologist and anthropologist Daniel Wilson (1816
92) spent the latter part of his life in Canada. Published in 1862,
this is a seminal work in the study of early man in which Wilson
utilises studies of native tribes 'still seen there in a condition
which seems to reproduce some of the most familiar phases ascribed
to the infancy of the unhistoric world'. He believed that
civilisations initially developed in mild climates and judged the
Mayans to have been the most advanced civilisation in the New
World. Twentieth-century anthropologist Bruce Trigger argued that
Wilson 'interpreted evidence about human behaviour in a way that is
far more in accord with modern thinking than are the racist views
of Darwin and Lubbock', and it is in this light that this
two-volume work can be judged. Volume 2 covers topics ranging from
ceramic arts to the influence of interbreeding and migration upon
civilisations.
Throughout history, left-handedness has been viewed as being the
mark of the devil, as evidence of mental retardation or neurosis,
as showing a predisposition to criminality, or as being linked to
every perceived social ill. Even into the nineteenth century, many
scientists were of the opinion that left-handedness was the sign of
a sinister personality. An eminent ethnologist and one of the first
scientific archaeologists, Daniel Wilson (1816 92), who introduced
into English the word 'prehistoric', became aware of the fact that
there were as many left-handed Stone Age implements as right. As a
left-hander himself, he was fascinated by these discoveries.
Published in 1891, his last major work gives the results of his
studies of left-handedness, which he concludes is hereditary and
relates to the dominance of one hemisphere of the brain.
"Greenberg has accomplished a magnificent literary feat. He has
taken a great German work, until now all but inaccessible to
English readers, and made it into a sparkling English poem, full of
verve and wit. Greenberg's translation lives; it is done in a
modern idiom but with respect for the original text; I found it a
joy to read."-Irving Howe (on the earlier edition) A classic of
world literature, Goethe's Faust is a philosophical and poetic
drama full of satire, irony, humor, and tragedy. Martin Greenberg
re-creates not only the text's varied meter and rhyme but also its
diverse tones and styles-dramatic and lyrical, reflective and
farcical, pathetic and coarse, colloquial and soaring. His
rendition of Faust is the first faithful, readable, and elegantly
written translation of Goethe's masterpiece available in English.
At last, the Greenberg Faust is available in a single volume,
together with a thoroughly updated translation, preface, and notes.
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