Chrysalis

Before Darwin, before Humboldt, before Gilbert White, there was Merian. An artist turned naturalist, Maria Sibylla Merian sailed from Europe to the New World on an expedition to study metamorphosis. It was an unheard-of journey for any naturalist at that time, much less a woman. When she returned she produced a book that secured her reputation but her accomplishments were later dismissed and forgotten when scientists feared that they would be discredited if they built on the work of...
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Before Darwin, before Humboldt, before Gilbert White, there was Merian. An artist turned naturalist, Maria Sibylla Merian sailed from Europe to the New World on an expedition to study metamorphosis. It was an unheard-of journey for any naturalist at that time, much less a woman. When she returned she produced a book that secured her reputation but her accomplishments were later dismissed and forgotten when scientists feared that they would be discredited if they built on the work of 'amateurs.' Beautifully written and illustrated, 'Chrysalis' restores Merian to her rightful place amongst those scientists who have changed the way we view the world. Kim Todd brings to life an amazing seventeenth-century woman whose boldness and vision would still be exceptional today.'An extraordinary portrait of an artist and amateur naturalist who explored the teeming life of the Amazon and helped lay the groundwork for our present-day understanding of ecology...With a detective's eye, Todd has pieced together the life of this neglected genius who charted the micro-world of insects...A breathtaking example of scholarship and storytelling, enriched by ample illustrations of Merian's work.' Starred review, Kirkus'Merian's collections and drawings from Surinam were a significant contribution to the study of the region's flora and fauna; Linnaaeus drew on them for his great catalogue of living things. Her careful observations on life histories, parasitoids and insect-plant relations and the use she made of the knowledge of the indigenous people were ahead of their time.' Times Literary SupplementRedeeming the reputation of yet another underrated European woman, Kim Todd writes lucidly, and with historic and scientific accuracy, about the life of Maria Merian who, as an explorer and natural scientist, preceded Darwin, Humboldt and Audubon. -Iain Finlayson, The Times