In Reading the World, Edwin D. Rose analyses books, manuscripts, physical specimens and the individuals who mediated their circulation to reveal natural history as a cyclical process of collection, classification and publication that was shaped by paper technologies, social labour and scientific ambition. His study foregrounds the entangled roles of author–collectors, editors and readers in producing natural-historical knowledge and offers a thorough account of how natural history was read, written and remade throughout the period.
Rose centres his analysis on three protagonists – Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant (1726–98), naturalist and clergyman Gilbert White (1720–93) and English naturalist Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820). Each belonged to the network of ‘“gentlemanly” or “genteel” naturalists … that dominated British natural history and natural philosophy between 1760 and 1820’ (p. 6). Rose selects these three men to ‘facilitate engagement with the practices employed by the full range of naturalists encompassed by genteel society’ (p. 10), positioning Banks at the apex of this hierarchy as president of the Royal Society and proprietor of an extensive library and specimen collection at Soho Square. Pennant occupies the middle tier, with his own substantial collection and library at Downing Hall, while White represents the lower rung, serving as curate of the parish of Selborne. Though differing in status and resources, each knew the others and together they exchanged information which informed their practices. Crucially, however, Rose aims to decentre the tendency of historians to focus on the role of correspondence in natural-historical networks and instead considers the place of books and their publication (p. 12) in shaping and expanding natural-historical knowledge.
The book is divided into five chapters, each focusing on a different stage in the process of making natural historical knowledge. Chapter 1, ‘From parish to nation: Thomas Pennant on tour’, examines how travel was integral to conducting natural-historical research in Britain during the late eighteenth century. Focusing on Pennant’s tours, Rose explores how Pennant’s adoption of paper technologies shaped how information was collected, organized and later disseminated (p. 36). Chapter 2, ‘A new world for natural history’, turns to the Endeavour expedition and the working practices of Banks, Daniel Solander (1733–82) and their field assistants. Rose considers the limitations of ship life and how it shaped the production of knowledge, particularly the use of paper, with the crew reliant on only what they had aboard. Examining the range of paper-based systems adopted by Banks and his team, Rose considers the hierarchy of work, which echoed that found on the estates of the landed gentry (p. 84), and how those hierarchies were reinforced by the different contributions made to the various paper structures. Chapter 3, ‘From Specimen to Print’, explores networks of production and how collected natural-historical materials were transformed into illustrated natural-history books. Through examination of the publishing strategies of Banks, Pennant and White, Rose shows how their different interests and intended audiences informed their approaches to constructing their published works and in doing so situates books not merely as outputs but as active tools in the construction of natural-historical knowledge. Chapter 4, ‘From print to distribution’, investigates how Pennant, Banks and White distributed their books and used them to shape their reputations as independent gentlemen of science. Rose contrasts Pennant’s strategy of wide publication, aimed at increasing his reputation as a natural-history authority and promoting a ‘programme of national improvement through increased access to zoological knowledge’ (p. 186), with Banks’s more exclusive approach, which involved ‘gifting’ his publications to specified recipients, acts which reinforced his role as a scientific patron (pp. 210, 218). Finally, Chapter 5, ‘The use of books’, explores the practical use of books on expeditions and in the library and how they were used both to engage certain people in natural-historical pursuits and to grow collections further. Rose also considers how illustrations were distributed separately from their published volumes and used to overcome language barriers and facilitate the collection of specimens and information. The image of the pufferfish being used to protect crews from dangerous animals was a particular highlight (p. 237). Through this lens, Rose underscores the instrumental and affective power of books in shaping natural-historical practice.
In addition to its textual contributions, the book benefits from high production value, particularly in its use of illustrations. The quality and quantity of images – drawn from a wide range of collections – not only enhance the visual appeal of the volume but also demonstrate the breadth and depth of archival research undertaken by the author. That said, I found the chapters to be quite long and, at times, challenging to navigate. Although richly detailed, Reading the World demanded sustained attention and careful reading; unlike other works I might read in a couple of sittings, this text required a slower, more deliberate engagement. Furthermore, given the extensive existing literature on Pennant, White and Banks, and on eighteenth-century natural history more broadly, I also occasionally found myself questioning how Rose’s work builds upon or intervenes in these established conversations. Although the bibliography and notes are substantial, there were moments when it was unclear whether a particular claim represented Rose’s own interpretation or a synthesis of earlier scholarship.
By retracing the cyclical processes of collecting, identifying, recording and publishing, Reading the World offers the interested reader a nuanced account of natural history as a collaborative and materially grounded endeavour, revealing how books functioned not only as outputs but also as crucial tools in the circulation and expansion of natural-historical knowledge.
