Tidal Thames: History of a River and Its Fishes [Nov 08, 1979] Wheeler, Alwyne

by Alwyne Wheeler

Wheeler, Alwyne

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Alwyne Wheeler was a British ichthyologist, museum curator, editor, and author whose work made a lasting contribution to the study of fishes and natural history. Despite never obtaining a university degree, he built a distinguished scientific career at the Natural History Museum, where he worked from 1950 until his retirement in 1989, eventually becoming one of Britain's leading experts on European fish taxonomy and historical zoological collections. His landmark book, The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe (1969), became the standard reference for British ichthyology, while other notable works included Fishes of the World, Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe, and The World Encyclopedia of Fishes. Wheeler also played an important role in documenting the ecological recovery of the River Thames and was a founding member of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles. Beyond ichthyology, he specialized in the identification of fish remains from archaeological sites and co-authored a key manual in that field. A respected editor and mentor, he guided the Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History for many years. Some of his popular writings appeared under the pen name Allan Cooper. His legacy continues through research grants, bursaries, and several fish taxa named in his honor.

Reviews

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique look at the history of a British river by an expert in its fishes. A tourde force and a good read too