The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn

Six Personal Essays on Natural Science and Romanticism

Richard Mabey

• Publisher: Profile Books
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN:
  9781847654502
• Print ISBN:
  9781846684074

In these elegant, short essays, revered nature writer Richard Mabey attempts to marry a Romantic's view of the natural world with that of the meticulous observations of the scientist. By Romanticism, he refers to the view that nature isn't a machine to be dissected, but a community of which we, the observers, are inextricably part. And that our feelings about that community are a perfectly proper subject for reflection, because they shape our relationship with it. Scientists eshew such a subjective response, wanting to witness the natural world exactly, whatever feelings subsequently follow.

Our feelings are an extension of our senses - sight, taste, smell, touch and sound - and here, in a sextet of inspiring meditations, Mabey explores each sensory response in what it means to interact with nature. From birdsong to poetry, from Petri-dish to microscope, this is a joyful union of meandering thoughts and intimate memories.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• 1. The Greenhouse and the Field
• 2. The Lichen and the Lens
• 3. The Crab Apple and the Grafting Knife
• 4. The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn
• 5. The Nightingale and the Sonogram
• 6. The Map and the Word