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The Malay Archipelago #1
The Malay Archipelago, Volume 1
The Malay Archipelago Volume 1 by Alfred Russel Wallace
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1869
25 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Russel Wallace
558 books93 followersAlfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist. He is best known for independently proposing a theory of natural selection which prompted Charles Darwin to publish his own theory.
Wallace did extensive fieldwork, first in the Amazon River basin and then in the Malay Archipelago, where he identified the Wallace Line that divides Indonesia into two distinct parts, one in which animals closely related to those of Australia are common, and one in which the species are largely of Asian origin. He was considered the 19th century's leading expert on the geographical distribution of animal species and is sometimes called the "father of biogeography". Wallace was one of the leading evolutionary thinkers of the 19th century and made a number of other contributions to the development of evolutionary theory besides being co-discoverer of natural selection. These included the concept of warning colouration in animals, and the Wallace effect, a hypothesis on how natural selection could contribute to speciation by encouraging the development of barriers against hybridization.
Wallace was strongly attracted to unconventional ideas. His advocacy of Spiritualism and his belief in a non-material origin for the higher mental faculties of humans strained his relationship with the scientific establishment, especially with other early proponents of evolution. In addition to his scientific work, he was a social activist who was critical of what he considered to be an unjust social and economic system in 19th-century Britain. His interest in biogeography resulted in his being one of the first prominent scientists to raise concerns over the environmental impact of human activity. Wallace was a prolific author who wrote on both scientific and social issues; his account of his adventures and observations during his explorations in Indonesia and Malaysia, The Malay Archipelago, was one of the most popular and influential journals of scientific exploration published during the 19th century.
Wallace did extensive fieldwork, first in the Amazon River basin and then in the Malay Archipelago, where he identified the Wallace Line that divides Indonesia into two distinct parts, one in which animals closely related to those of Australia are common, and one in which the species are largely of Asian origin. He was considered the 19th century's leading expert on the geographical distribution of animal species and is sometimes called the "father of biogeography". Wallace was one of the leading evolutionary thinkers of the 19th century and made a number of other contributions to the development of evolutionary theory besides being co-discoverer of natural selection. These included the concept of warning colouration in animals, and the Wallace effect, a hypothesis on how natural selection could contribute to speciation by encouraging the development of barriers against hybridization.
Wallace was strongly attracted to unconventional ideas. His advocacy of Spiritualism and his belief in a non-material origin for the higher mental faculties of humans strained his relationship with the scientific establishment, especially with other early proponents of evolution. In addition to his scientific work, he was a social activist who was critical of what he considered to be an unjust social and economic system in 19th-century Britain. His interest in biogeography resulted in his being one of the first prominent scientists to raise concerns over the environmental impact of human activity. Wallace was a prolific author who wrote on both scientific and social issues; his account of his adventures and observations during his explorations in Indonesia and Malaysia, The Malay Archipelago, was one of the most popular and influential journals of scientific exploration published during the 19th century.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 31, 2021
เป็นบันทึกการเดินทางและการสำรวจเก็บตัวอย่าง ทำให้อาจจะชวนง่วงไปบ้างหากทำการอ่านรวดเดียว แต่ก็เล่าเรื่องสภาพภูมิประเทศของหมู่เกาะในยุตนั้นได้ดีอยู่ครับ เหมาะสำหรับการค่อยๆอ่านเก็บบรรยายกาศผ่านการบรรยายของผู้เขียนไปเรื่อยๆไม่รีบครับ
December 23, 2024
Wallace, the man who forced Darwin to come out of the closet and announce his theory of natural selection, spent his formative years exploring the Malay islands. This intellectual journey would evolve into his theories regarding island bio-geography - including the "Wallace Line", a faunal boundary between Asia and Australia - which have stood the test of time. His views on "primitive" and "savage" races, political economy, and Dutch colonialism are also of more than passing interest to 19th century historians. His quest for the birds of paradise became an obsession, and natural and intellectual history are richer for it ...
September 25, 2019
Excellent both in language and experiences of a 19th century naturalist/collector who in all probability beat Darwin to it. One niggle, it is supposed to be illustrated according to ther title but the Kindle version is not and there are one or two transcription errors.
May 24, 2020
NOT ILLUSTRATED !!!
This edition is not illustrated, despite the title. Big disappointment. Wish I had read the reviews first. May look for another edition, and ditch this one as it is so cheap.
This edition is not illustrated, despite the title. Big disappointment. Wish I had read the reviews first. May look for another edition, and ditch this one as it is so cheap.
November 3, 2012
You'd kinda assume that all world-changing explorers were pretty good travellers, but apparently that's not the case. At many times in this travelogue, Wallace comes across as a tired, grumpy, unwell TripAdvisor reviewer unimpressed with the locals, the hospitality and frustrated that the expected local fauna isn't turning up to be shot on cue.
I read this to explore Wallace's writings and theories more, and that may not have been a good call. The book is as describes, an account of travels around Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Mostly Wallace describes how he got to an island, his `negotiations` (cough *threats* cough) to obtain housing in the local villages, his attempts to secure local labour, and then a description of the various birds and animals he shot for specimens while there. A great deal of the book involves frustrated criticisms of the limitations of local people, underpinned by many imperialist assumptions, and loving description of killing beautiful creatures. I can understand that many modern readers may find this hard going.
Wallace had relatively enlightened views on indigenous peoples for a European of the time - a fact I had to remind myself incessantly through the text. He still assumes as given that "primitive" peoples are stupider and lazier than "civilized" one, and this assumption colours his encounters. It is at times amusing to see: when he comments on the Papuans' laziness, right before complaining about not being able to eat because his staff are too ill to cook for him or climb trees for him, for example. Or his constant assumption that when locals do not wish to sail immediately, they are delaying him out of obstinance, followed invariably by him forcing sailing only to hit bad weather straight away.
At the end of the book, Wallace comments on the moral superiority of the indigenous peoples he has lived within compared to British people. This comes as a mild surprise given the tone of the rest, despite one musing on a Malay village with no crime and, he believes, no laws. It did make me wonder whether much of the other criticisms were exacerbated by being uncomfortable, often ill, and worried about shooting and preserving enough animals to pay off the voyage.
There are some passages of real wonder, humility and amazement in the book that elevate the work, and will stay with me. Most of these - the most striking being his description of his first journey by prau - are clearly cribbed from a journal kept at the time, sometimes slipping into the present tense. For these passages alone - when you can see the wild adventurer whose world is being broadened forever - the book is worth reading. Mostly they come towards the end.
You do get the occasional glimpse of Wallace's extraordinarily curious and deductive mind, but only occasional. His extrapolation of the Wallace line, and his hypothesis (mostly incorrect, but still)about the origins of the human racial groups in the area, for example. I suspect this is not a work to show off Wallace's brilliance, at the end of the day. I intend to read a book of his essays next, to see if that works better, and kinda wish I had started there, before the wild young naturalist revolutionary was replaced by a petulant, grumpy, high-handed traveller, with flashes of brilliance, in my head.
I read this to explore Wallace's writings and theories more, and that may not have been a good call. The book is as describes, an account of travels around Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Mostly Wallace describes how he got to an island, his `negotiations` (cough *threats* cough) to obtain housing in the local villages, his attempts to secure local labour, and then a description of the various birds and animals he shot for specimens while there. A great deal of the book involves frustrated criticisms of the limitations of local people, underpinned by many imperialist assumptions, and loving description of killing beautiful creatures. I can understand that many modern readers may find this hard going.
Wallace had relatively enlightened views on indigenous peoples for a European of the time - a fact I had to remind myself incessantly through the text. He still assumes as given that "primitive" peoples are stupider and lazier than "civilized" one, and this assumption colours his encounters. It is at times amusing to see: when he comments on the Papuans' laziness, right before complaining about not being able to eat because his staff are too ill to cook for him or climb trees for him, for example. Or his constant assumption that when locals do not wish to sail immediately, they are delaying him out of obstinance, followed invariably by him forcing sailing only to hit bad weather straight away.
At the end of the book, Wallace comments on the moral superiority of the indigenous peoples he has lived within compared to British people. This comes as a mild surprise given the tone of the rest, despite one musing on a Malay village with no crime and, he believes, no laws. It did make me wonder whether much of the other criticisms were exacerbated by being uncomfortable, often ill, and worried about shooting and preserving enough animals to pay off the voyage.
There are some passages of real wonder, humility and amazement in the book that elevate the work, and will stay with me. Most of these - the most striking being his description of his first journey by prau - are clearly cribbed from a journal kept at the time, sometimes slipping into the present tense. For these passages alone - when you can see the wild adventurer whose world is being broadened forever - the book is worth reading. Mostly they come towards the end.
You do get the occasional glimpse of Wallace's extraordinarily curious and deductive mind, but only occasional. His extrapolation of the Wallace line, and his hypothesis (mostly incorrect, but still)about the origins of the human racial groups in the area, for example. I suspect this is not a work to show off Wallace's brilliance, at the end of the day. I intend to read a book of his essays next, to see if that works better, and kinda wish I had started there, before the wild young naturalist revolutionary was replaced by a petulant, grumpy, high-handed traveller, with flashes of brilliance, in my head.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews