Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace

by James T. Costa

A major new biography of the brilliant naturalist, traveler, humanitarian, and codiscoverer of natural selection

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was perhaps the most famed naturalist of the Victorian age. His expeditions to remote Amazonia and southeast Asia were the stuff of legend. A collector of thousands of species new to science, he shared in the discovery of natural selection and founded the discipline of evolutionary biogeography.

Radical by Nature tells the story of Wallace’s epic life and achievements, from his stellar rise from humble origins to his complicated friendship with Charles Darwin and other leading scientific lights of Britain to his devotion to social causes and movements that threatened to alienate him from scientific society.

James Costa draws on letters, notebooks, and journals to provide a multifaceted account of a revolutionary life in science as well as Wallace’s family life. He shows how the self-taught Wallace doggedly pursued bold, even radical ideas that caused a seismic shift in the natural sciences, and how he also courted controversy with nonscientific pursuits such as spiritualism and socialism. Costa describes Wallace’s courageous social advocacy of women’s rights, labor reform, and other important issues. He also sheds light on Wallace’s complex relationship with Darwin, describing how Wallace graciously applauded his friend and rival, becoming one of his most ardent defenders.

Weaving a revelatory narrative with the latest scholarship, Radical by Nature paints a mesmerizing portrait of a multifaceted thinker driven by a singular passion for science, a commitment to social justice, and a lifelong sense of wonder.

Genres: Science, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Evolution, Biography Memoir, Biology

537 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[David Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I debated the rating on this because the book can at times be a bit of a slog due to the incredible detail but opted to give it full credit anyway because it is by far the definitive treatise on a scientist that most people know only as a minor caricature in the Darwinian story. As a former scientist myself, I knew there was more to Wallace than most are aware, but even I was surprised to find out how broad his contributions were to science. Costa not only takes us along on Wallace's scientific exhibitions into Amazonia and Indonesia/Papua (and later the US), but he also helps us understand how Wallace defended and expanded on Darwin's concepts of natural selection. And there is much more. This really is a must-read book for anyone who wants to know Alfred Russel Wallace.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and impressive biography. Packed with information and a bit dense at times, this is probably best-suited for the enthusiast, rather than a casual reader. The pictures and illustrations were marvelous, and a highlight of the book for me. Although occasionally a tough slog, this was ultimately worth the effort.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Wallace is a fascinating and sometimes frustrating character. It is hard to believe the same person who was so observant in the jungle could be incapable of spotting the table knockers for what they were.
His eternal optimism in the face of setbacks, his intellectual curiosity , his modesty and graciousness, particularly in dealing with his co-discovery of natural selection and all the surrounding drama that entailed are admirable and his socialism and feminism even give him a bit of shine in an era that would be all too quick to dismiss him as a "typical colonial."
I was so glad to emerge from a biography with my admiration not only intact, but actually increased.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excruciatingly detailed biography of Alfred Russel Wallace, a 19th century naturalist who should be a household name.

Everyone knows about Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, yet almost nobody knows that Wallace scooped Darwin. Darwin of course had been working on the idea for years, but it was Wallace who published first. The two men were credited as co-discoverers, in what appears suspiciously like a 19th century version of participation trophies.

But if Wallace was first, wh... [see the rest on my book review site.]

[Fernando Pestana da Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the book subtitle points out, this is a biography of Alfred Russel Wallace. However, the title and subtitle can be misleading at first: the "radical" and "revolutionary" is not of a political nature: Wallace was a naturalist, explorer, and collector and was the independent co-discover, with Charles Darwin, of the Law of Natural Selection. Wallace's life was, indeed, very interesting: a self-educated young man who started to collect beetles as a hobby in the free time left by his job as contractor, he then leaves to the Amazon with a friend to collect and ship to England rare or new species of animals where they were bought by wealthy collectors of by the British Museum. After four years travelling up and down the Amazon and tributaries (up to the Brazilian-Venezuelan border), collecting species and writing reports and papers, some regularly shipped to England, he returns home with his precious cargo just to see it go up in flames together with the ship. Luckily, he and the crew were saved after ten days at sea, when food and water had run out. After some time in England, where he was on the move again, this time to what is now Malaysia and Indonesia, where he stayed crisscrossing the myriad of islands of that part of the world for the next eight years, collecting species, observing the geology, the geography, the peoples, and sending home specimens, reports, letters, and important scientific articles that were regularly read at the scientific societies in London, among them the article read at the Linnean Society in 1 July 1858, together with one of Darwin, in which Natural Selection was introduced as the mechanism responsible for the origin of species. The adventuresome life of Wallace calmed down after his final return to England and the rest of the book is, likewise, less adventuresome but not less interesting: in it we witness Wallace raise in London's scientific world to become the "First Darwinian", but also his embrace of causes that did not made him popular among his peers (spiritualism, anti-vaccination movement, women rights, socialism). In all, this is an extraordinarily interesting book about the long and prolific life of one of the most important scientists of the 19th Century.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Radical by Nature is an in-depth, intimate, and tremendously enjoyable biography of the long and remarkable life of Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023...

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating biography of a fascinating man of science, Alfred Russell Wallace. I knew of Wallace from magazine articles, and such, as the co-originator of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection. Other than that the man was a cipher. This book sets the record straight.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

An terrific biography of an amazing naturalist/scientist. The first half of the book was a little heavy with details of insect and bird species, including all the Latin. The second half was much more readable and more interesting for a non-biologist.

[Adam S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long but excellent