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Historical biogeography-the study of the history of species through
both time and place-first convinced Charles Darwin of evolution.
This field was so important to Darwin's initial theories and line
of thinking that he said as much in the very first paragraph of On
the Origin of Species (1859) and later in his autobiography. His
methods included collecting mammalian fossils in South America
clearly related to living forms, tracing the geographical
distributions of living species across South America, and sampling
peculiar fauna of the geologically young Galapagos Archipelago that
showed evident affinities to South American forms. Over the years,
Darwin collected other evidence in support of evolution, but his
historical biogeographical arguments remained paramount, so much so
that he devotes three full chapters to this topic in On the Origin
of Species. Discussions of Darwin's landmark book too often give
scant attention to this wealth of evidence, and we still do not
fully appreciate its significance in Darwin's thinking. In Origins
of Darwin's Evolution, J. David Archibald explores this lapse,
showing how Darwin first came to the conclusion that, instead of
various centers of creation, species had evolved in different
regions throughout the world. He also shows that Darwin's other
early passion-geology-proved a more elusive corroboration of
evolution. On the Origin of Species has only one chapter dedicated
to the rock and fossil record, as it then appeared too incomplete
for Darwin's evidentiary standards. Carefully retracing Darwin's
gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of
Darwin's Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin
crafted his transformative theory.
Tracking Loach presents a ground-breaking and unique contribution
to the study of cinema. Archibald was granted unprecedented access
to observe one of world cinema's most celebrated and controversial
filmmakers, Ken Loach, while he was making the 2012 feature The
Angels Share, which received The Jury Prize at the Cannes Film
Festival. This book draws on this knowledge to offer a first-hand
account of the director's celebrated working methods, supplemented
with insights gleaned from the British Film Institute's Loach
archive, and analysis of his wider output and film-related
political activity. Archibald has been 'Tracking Loach' for over
three decades, as film viewer, film critic and film academic, and
this inside perspective not only offers fresh insights into Loach's
films and how they are made, but also highlights the benefits of
production studies to the understanding of cinema more broadly.
In 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. In this
bedrock of biology books Darwin carved a new origin-story for all
life: evolution rather than creation. In his new biography J. David
Archibald describes and analyses Darwin’s prodigious body of
work, as well as his equally productive home life – he lived with
his wife and seven children in the hectic environs of Down House,
south of London. There among his family and friends Darwin
continued to experiment and write many more books on orchids, sex,
emotions, and earthworms until his death in 1882, when he was
honoured with burial at Westminster Abbey. This is a fresh,
up-to-date account of the life and work of a most remarkable man.
In On the Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin presented his
evidence for evolution and natural selection as its mechanism. He
drew upon his earliest data gathered during his voyage on the HMS
Beagle, which included collecting mammalian fossils in South
America clearly related to living forms, tracing the geographical
distributions of living species across South America, and sampling
the peculiar fauna of the geologically young Galapagos Archipelago
that showed evident affinities to South American forms. By the end
of the voyage, he came to the realization that instead of various
centers of creation, species evolved in different regions
throughout the world. However, except for some personal ponderings,
he did not express this revelation explicitly in his notebooks
until shortly after his return. Over the years, he collected more
evidence supporting evolution, but his early work remained
paramount: it became the first paragraph of On the Origin of
Species and encompassed three separate chapters, as well as later
appearing in his autobiography. Many discussions of Darwin's
landmark book give scant attention to this wealth of evidence and
today we still do not fully appreciate its significance in Darwin's
thinking. In Origins of Darwin's Evolution, J. David Archibald
explores this lapse. He also shows that Darwin's other early
passion, geology, proved a more elusive corroboration of evolution.
On the Origin of Species dedicated only one chapter to the rock and
fossil record, as it appeared too incomplete for Darwin's
evidentiary standards. Carefully retracing Darwin's gathering of
evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin's
Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his
transformative theory.
Leading paleontologist J. David Archibald explores the rich history
of visual metaphors for biological order from ancient times to the
present and their influence on humans' perception of their place in
nature, offering uncommon insight into how we went from standing on
the top rung of the biological ladder to embodying just one tiny
twig on the tree of life. He begins with the ancient but still
misguided use of ladders to show biological order, moving then to
the use of trees to represent seasonal life cycles and genealogies
by the Romans. The early Christian Church then appropriated trees
to represent biblical genealogies. The late eighteenth century saw
the tree reclaimed to visualize relationships in the natural world,
sometimes with a creationist view, but in other instances
suggesting evolution. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species
(1859) exorcised the exclusively creationist view of the "tree of
life," and his ideas sparked an explosion of trees, mostly by
younger acolytes in Europe. Although Darwin's influence waned in
the early twentieth century, by midcentury his ideas held sway once
again in time for another and even greater explosion of tree
building, generated by the development of new theories on how to
assemble trees, the birth of powerful computing, and the emergence
of molecular technology. Throughout Archibald's far-reaching study,
and with the use of many figures, the evolution of "tree of life"
iconography becomes entwined with our changing perception of the
world and ourselves.
Combines historical rigour with an analysis of dramatic contexts,
themes and forms The 17 contributors explore the longstanding and
vibrant Scottish dramatic tradition and the important developments
in Scottish dramatic writing and theatre, with particular attention
to the last 100 years. The first part of the volume covers Scottish
drama from the earliest records to the late twentieth-century
literary revival, as well as translation in Scottish theatre and
non-theatrical drama. The second part focuses on the work of
influential Scottish playwrights, from J. M. Barrie and James
Bridie to Ena Lamont Stewart, Liz Lochhead and Edwin Morgan and
right up to contemporary playwrights Anthony Neilson, Gregory
Burke, Henry Adams and Douglas Maxwell. Key Features * Provides a
thorough overview of Scottish theatre from the earliest days to the
present * Deals with play texts as well as with the key contexts
and themes of drama and theatre over the years * Provides insights
into the work of leading Scottish playwrights, including the new
generations since the 1970s * Written for students and
theatre-lovers alike
The first book to approach the Cretaceous extinction -- the
period during which dinosaurs disappeared from Earth -- from the
perspective of the fossil record.
Charles Darwin: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works provides an
important new compendium presenting a detailed chronology of all
aspects Darwin's life. The extensive encyclopedia section includes
many hundreds of entries of various kinds related to Darwin -
people, places, institutions, concepts, and his publications. The
bibliography provides a comprehensive listing of the vast majority
of Darwin's works published during and after his lifetime. It also
provides a more selective list of publications concerning his life
and work. *Includes a nearly year by year chronology detailing
Charles Darwin's life, family, and work. *The A to Z section
includes many entries on concepts and people important in Charles
Darwin's life and his work, emphasizing during his lifetime but
extending somewhat backwards and forwards from there. *The
bibliography includes all of Charles Darwin's articles and books
published in his lifetime in English and other languages, as well
as a selective list of works about him and his work. *The index
thoroughly cross-references the chronological and encyclopedic
entries.
The war that won't die charts the changing nature of cinematic
depictions of the Spanish Civil War. In 1936, a significant number
of artists, filmmakers and writers - from George Orwell and Pablo
Picasso to Joris Ivens and Joan Miro - rallied to support the
country's democratically-elected Republican government. The arts
have played an important role in shaping popular understandings of
the Spanish Civil War and this book examines the specific role
cinema has played in this process. The book's focus is on fictional
feature films produced within Spain and beyond its borders between
the 1940s and the early years of the twenty-first century -
including Hollywood blockbusters, East European films, the work of
the avant garde in Paris and films produced under Franco's
censorial dictatorship. The book will appeal to scholars and
students of Film, Media and Hispanic Studies, but also to
historians and, indeed, anyone interested in why the Spanish Civil
War remains such a contested political topic. -- .
The War That Won't Die charts the changing nature of cinematic
depictions of the Spanish Civil War. In 1936, a significant number
of artists, filmmakers and writers - from George Orwell and Pablo
Picasso to Joris Ivens and Joan Miro - rallied to support the
country's democratically-elected Republican government. The arts
have played an important role in shaping popular understandings of
the Spanish Civil War and this book examines the specific role
cinema has played in this process. The book's focus is on fictional
feature films produced within Spain and beyond its borders between
the 1940s and the early years of the twenty-first century -
including Hollywood blockbusters, East European films, the work of
the avant garde in Paris and films produced under Franco's
censorial dictatorship. The book will appeal to scholars and
students of Film, Media and Hispanic Studies, but also to
historians and, indeed, anyone interested in why the Spanish Civil
War remains such a contested political topic.
Combines historical rigour with an analysis of dramatic contexts,
themes and forms The 17 contributors explore the longstanding and
vibrant Scottish dramatic tradition and the important developments
in Scottish dramatic writing and theatre, with particular attention
to the last 100 years. The first part of the volume covers Scottish
drama from the earliest records to the late twentieth-century
literary revival, as well as translation in Scottish theatre and
non-theatrical drama. The second part focuses on the work of
influential Scottish playwrights, from J. M. Barrie and James
Bridie to Ena Lamont Stewart, Liz Lochhead and Edwin Morgan and
right up to contemporary playwrights Anthony Neilson, Gregory
Burke, Henry Adams and Douglas Maxwell. Key Features * Provides a
thorough overview of Scottish theatre from the earliest days to the
present * Deals with play texts as well as with the key contexts
and themes of drama and theatre over the years * Provides insights
into the work of leading Scottish playwrights, including the new
generations since the 1970s * Written for students and
theatre-lovers alike
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