The Elements of Botany is one of seven in a Series of First Books of Natural History Prepared for the Use of Schools and Colleges. It is a succinct little textbook that presents a solid introduction to plant science.

The Elements of Entomology is one of seven in a Series of First Books of Natural History Prepared for the Use of Schools and Colleges. It is a succinct little textbook from 1845 presents an introduction to entomology. The author was a surgeon in the U.S. Navy and president of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The fifth of the Series of First Books of Natural History, embraces that branch of our subject which treats of the Mollusca, or soft animals, and consequently, includes the Elements of Conchology. In the beauty and singularity of their forms, the variety and brilliancy of their colors, shells only yield to flowers…. Limited as this little volume is, it may prove a key to stores of information, even more interesting to many than the numerous fictions of the day. “Truth is stranger than fiction,” has been often said; and the beautiful truths brought to us by a study of animal life, in its various forms, are certainly more admirable and wonderful than any fiction of man’s creation...

This succinct little textbook from 1844 presents an introduction to herpetology and ichthyology. The information, albeit not current, is still interesting and of use as a general overview of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Please note that the classification of the animals may have changed since this time, as well as their environmental status. The step back in time to hear the Victorian view of nature makes it a remarkable read in itself. The author was president of the Academy of Natural Sciences. - Summary by A. Gramour

We are weary of witnessing the greed, selfishness and cruelty of “civilized” man toward the wild creatures of the earth. We are sick of tales of slaughter and pictures of carnage. It is time for a sweeping Reformation; and that is precisely what we now demand. -William Temple Hornaday

Located in a part of Cumbria that was once part of Lancashire, the River Duddon rises in the high fells of the Lake District and flows for 25 miles through varied scenery before disappearing into the sands between Millom and Barrow-in-Furness. Wordsworth’s series of sonnets, inspired by his walks along the river, were written over a period of years, but are arranged so as to follow its downward course from the fells to the sea. Part One of this reading consists of the 33 sonnets and postscript that were first published as a series in 1820...

American naturalist, Winthrop Packard, takes on a journey along pastures, ponds, bogs, brooks and woods alerting us to their many inhabitants. He points out the birds, butterflies, fish, frogs and even skunks, and describes them and their habitat with free flowing narrative that is both informative and entertaining, sometimes dramatic and sometimes poetic. - Summary by Larry Wilson