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raysocietybooks.bsky.social
RaySocietyBooks
@raysocietybooks.bsky.social
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The Ray Society a 180 yr old non-profit charity named after eminent naturalist John Ray (1628-1705) publishes natural history works often unavailable elsewhere.
raysociety.org.uk
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raysocietybooks.bsky.social
RaySocietyBooks @raysocietybooks.bsky.social · Mar 30
The Ray Society is now on Bluesky! Most recent publication ‘Biology, evolution and genetic review of the chemosymbiotic Bivalve Family Lucinidae’ by John Taylor and Emily Glover RRP £98 from the Ray Society and NHBS websites.
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royalsociety.org
#OnThisDay in 1831, the HMS Beagle departs on its second voyage with an unknown young naturalist aboard. The ship will eventually visit the Galapagos Islands where the scientist, Charles Darwin, will begin to formulate his theories on evolution. #HistoryOfScience
December 27, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🦞 Voyage au pole sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée: Paris: Gide et J. Baudry ..., 1842-1853.

[Source]
Historical scientific illustration from "Voyage au pole sud et dans l'Océanie" (1842-1853) depicting detailed drawings of various crustaceans. The image features three large, colored crab species centrally positioned—a spiny red crab at the top center, a brown crab with raised claws at the bottom, and a smaller crab on the upper right. Surrounding these are smaller, finely detailed black-and-white sketches of crustacean body parts, claws, and anatomical features, all labeled with numbers. The illustration showcases the morphology of species such as Peltarion macellanicus, Jonas macrophthalmus, Lithodes antarctica, Granulosa, and Remipes marmoratus, emphasizing their exoskeleton textures and limb structures for scientific study.
December 28, 2025 at 3:23 AM
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bookswain.bsky.social
Various plant species in my 1821 copy of the first English edition of Elements of the Philosophy of Plants, a foundational text in scientific botany that synthesizes the work of Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle and German botanist & physicist Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel.
#sciart 🌱 I
A book opened two two pages with detailed sketches of different plant species. #botany 📚💙 #booksky
December 24, 2025 at 3:36 PM
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wellreadnaturalist.bsky.social
In my pyjamas reading the new "Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada: West (Second Edition)" that my family gave me for Christmas. Did you unwrap an interesting new book this holiday as well? #Booksky
December 25, 2025 at 5:24 PM
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wildlife.nathan.fun
The natural history of British fishes: London: Printed for the author, and for F. and C. Rivington, 1802-08. (source: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5897258) #nature #illustration #art
The natural history of British fishes: London: Printed for the author, and for F. and C. Rivington, 1802-08. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5897258�
December 26, 2025 at 3:32 AM
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princetonupress.bsky.social
The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Plants provides an unparalleled, in-depth look at the era’s extraordinary plant life, exploring its natural history, biology, and evolution over a span of 185 million years.

Out now! Explore a free preview: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

#Nature
December 26, 2025 at 1:37 PM
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wellreadnaturalist.bsky.social
Presenting works spanning the expansive range of von Humboldt’s interests, from natural philosophy to studies of cultures, the writings in "Alexander von Humboldt: Writings in English" invite the reader into the myriad chambers of the author’s mind.

www.wellreadnaturalist.com/2025/12/alex...
December 21, 2025 at 5:48 PM
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britishlichensociety.org.uk
“Lichens of Britain & Ireland” by Rebecca Yahr and Frances Stoakley is finally available for purchase. This has been a much needed ID guide for beginners to intermediates and the publication is finally here!! www.bloomsbury.com/uk/lichens-o... #bloomsbury #lichens
December 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
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wildlife.nathan.fun
The natural history of British fishes: London: Printed for the author, and for F. and C. Rivington, 1802-08. (source: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5897382) #nature #illustration #art
The natural history of British fishes: London: Printed for the author, and for F. and C. Rivington, 1802-08. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5897382�
December 20, 2025 at 9:04 PM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🥗 British sea-weeds. Drawn from Professor Harvey's "Phycologia britannica."
London, Bell and Daldy, 1863.

[Source]
Historical botanical illustration of four British seaweed species from the genus Nitophyllum, part of the red algae group. The top left (173) shows Nitophyllum punctatum with a broad, lobed frond featuring small pink reproductive structures. Top right (174) displays three smaller variations of Nitophyllum punctatum, with delicate branching and fan-like shapes, also pale pink with fine red dots. Bottom left (175) illustrates Nitophyllum Hilliae with a large, broad, rounded frond in solid pink tones and a network of dark veins. Bottom right (176) depicts Nitophyllum Imelini, a darker purple-pink seaweed with deeply cut, irregular lobes. The page is labeled "Plate XXXVIII," dated 1863.
December 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🌊 A monograph of the British marine annelids
London, The Ray society, 1873/1900-1922/23.

[Source]
Historical scientific illustration from "A monograph of the British marine annelids," depicting eight detailed, color and monochrome figures of various segmented marine worms. The worms display different body shapes, textures, and patterns, including coiled, elongated, and striped forms with distinct head regions. Some figures show close-up views of head anatomy. The illustration emphasizes anatomical variety among marine annelids and includes measurement bars for scale. Background is plain beige, enhancing focus on the worms. This image reflects 19th to early 20th-century marine biology research by The Ray Society, London.
December 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
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linneansociety.bsky.social
🪶 Discover how one man’s intimate observations of swifts, frogs, and fields sparked a revolution in our understanding of nature.

Catch up with Jenny Uglow's illustrated talk on Gilbert White, exploring how he came to be called ‘the father of ecology’.

Watch it now on YouTube:
Founder's Day Lecture | Gilbert White, the Revolutionary Outdoor Naturalist
Discover how one man’s intimate observations of swifts, frogs, and fields sparked a revolution in our understanding of nature. Gilbert White’s Natural History of Selborne, published in 1789, was a…
youtu.be
December 19, 2025 at 11:30 AM
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nmbluk.bsky.social
Who else finds winter the perfect time to settle down with a good book? 📖

www.mba.ac.uk/winter-must-...
thembauk.bsky.social The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 11d
Winter Must-Reads from the National Marine Biological Library

☀️ The Last Sunset in the West – Natalie Sanders
🐚 Beautiful Shells – Mark Carnall
🦑 Curious Creatures on Our Shores – Chris Thorogood

👉 mba.ac.uk/winter-must-reads-from-the-national-marine-biological-library/
December 19, 2025 at 11:49 AM
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ianbeavis.bsky.social
More planktonic crustaceans from Alister Hardy's The Open Sea - the World of Plankton (1956), with illustrations reproduced from watercolours by the author #Crustmas
December 19, 2025 at 11:14 PM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🌲 The British ferns, or, Coloured figures and descriptions with the needful analyses of the fructification and venation of the ferns of Great Britain and Ireland
London: Lovell Reeve, 1861.

[Source]
Illustration of a cedar branch showing detailed green needle-like leaves growing in clusters along a curved brown stem with visible roots. Three additional close-up views highlight reproductive structures: a cone-like shape, a yellow rounded seed or spore, and two small spore clusters with textured surfaces. The botanical style emphasizes the plant's venation and fructification typical of mid-19th-century scientific illustrations from "The British ferns," London, 1861. The plate number "53" appears in the upper right corner.
December 16, 2025 at 9:23 AM
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biodivlibrary.bsky.social
A festive-season feast of crabs 🦀
This spectacular spread comes from Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri (1734–1765). Consider this our contribution to #Crustmas ✨
#SciArt #NaturalHistory #ILoveBHL www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41072182 🧪
A double page spread filled with historic illustrations of crabs.
December 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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wildlife.nathan.fun
The natural history of British fishes: London: Printed for the author, and for F. and C. Rivington, 1802-08. (source: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5897250) #nature #illustration #art
The natural history of British fishes: London: Printed for the author, and for F. and C. Rivington, 1802-08. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5897250�
December 16, 2025 at 6:07 PM
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ianbeavis.bsky.social
Cystosoma, one of those large-eyed crustaceans, is illustrated here in Alister Hardy's The Open Sea - the World of Plankton (1956) #Crustmas
December 16, 2025 at 9:57 PM
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ianbeavis.bsky.social
Some deep-sea planktonic crustaceans from Alister Hardy's The Open Sea - the World of Plankton (1956) #Crustmas
December 16, 2025 at 10:01 PM
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notquitescilly.bsky.social
Yep, agree with @stevewg.bsky.social. Originally recommended to me by @stewchat.bsky.social , I enjoyed Enjoying Moths. 😉
December 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
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ruthnewby.bsky.social
Katty Baird’s Meetings With Moths is a good read, about mothing with a Scottish focus. Would also recommend The Atlas of Larger Moths (Z. Randle et. al.) as a great reference work for understanding changes in distribution, flight times etc. Your orderly shelf puts me to shame!
December 14, 2025 at 8:39 AM
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vc33moths.bsky.social
Not so much for the book shelf in its new format, but an excellent guide.

A FIELD GUIDE TO THE SMALLER MOTHS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND (4th Edition-Digital)

www.benhs.org.uk/publications...
A FIELD GUIDE TO THE SMALLER MOTHS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND (4th Edition-Digital) - British Entomological & Natural History Society
www.benhs.org.uk
December 13, 2025 at 10:19 PM
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alandcs.bsky.social
I don’t own a copy of that one but have read it from the library though. Thanks
December 14, 2025 at 8:15 AM
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jnnyharris.bsky.social
Currently rereading @dunnjons.bsky.social The Glitter in the Green and am happy to confirm it is indeed the perfect antidote to winter. Full of sunshine, adventure and the very best type of glitter ✨
dunnjons.bsky.social Jon Dunn @dunnjons.bsky.social · Nov 14
Blimey. There's suddenly a LOT more people here. Hello! For those who weren't on the bird site and don't already know, amongst other things, I write stuff, and with Christmas coming up, maybe a joyful book about orchids, or one about hummingbirds, might be a colourful antidote to winter and Now?
Cover of 'Orchid Summer' by Jon Dunn. This account of a journey around Britain and Ireland in search of all the wild orchid species found there, their people past and present, and their colourful stories, was one of the Guardian's 'Best Books of the Year' in 2018. Cover of 'The Glitter in the Green' by Jon Dunn. An account of a meandering journey across the Americas, from 60°N in Alaska to the very shores of the Beagle Channel in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego, in search of the most remarkable hummingbirds, their histories and place in culture, their people past and present, and their meaning and place in a world that's fast-changing. This book was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Non-fiction in 2022.
December 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
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wellreadnaturalist.bsky.social
@uwapress.uw.edu press had a very generously discounted book sale.

It would have been impolite of me not to make a purchase.

#Booksky
December 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM