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The man who organized nature : the life of Linnaeus / Gunnar Broberg ; translated by Anna Paterson.

by Broberg, Gunnar, 1942-2022.

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Princeton University Press, 2023.

Linné, Carl von, 1707-1778.

Linné, Carl von, 1707-1778 -- Influence.

Natural history -- Classification.

Naturalists -- Sweden -- Biography.

Botanists -- Sweden -- Biography.

9780691213422 (hc.)

Mannen som ordnade naturen. English

Alternate title:

Life of Linnaeus

512 p. : ill. (black and white, and col.) ; 24 cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), known as the father of modern biological taxonomy, formalized and popularized the system of binomial nomenclature used to classify plants and animals. Linnaeus himself classified thousands of species; the simple and immediately recognizable abbreviation "L" is used to mark classifications originally made by Linnaeus. This biography, by the leading authority on Linnaeus, offers a vivid portrait of Linnaeus's life and work. Drawing on a wide range of previously unpublished sources, including diaries and personal correspondence, as well as new research, it presents revealing and original accounts of his family life, the political context in which he pursued his work, and his eccentric views on sexuality."

"This mostly rewarding biography by Broberg (The History of the Night), who was a professor emeritus of history at Lund University, Sweden, before his death in 2022, chronicles the life of Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), the Swedish scientist who developed the modern taxonomic system for classifying animals and plants. Linnaeus took an interest in nature from a young age and learned to identify the plants that grew around his childhood home. He studied botany at Uppsala University and soon after graduating revolutionized the natural sciences by advocating for the classification of each plant and animal by two Latin names (the first their genus, the second their species), as well as making the radical argument that humans should be included in the animal kingdom. Broberg illuminates the factors behind the actual work of science by delving into Linnaeus’s efforts to find patrons for his work, and the author’s diligent research, which draws on previously unpublished diaries and correspondence, brings the esteemed naturalist to life. However, the consideration of Linnaeus’s contributions to race science (his most famous work, Systema Naturae, designated four human 'varieties' and placed them in a hierarchy) is glaringly brief. Though this skimps on the unsavory parts of Linnaeus’s legacy, it will otherwise satisfy history of science scholars."--Publishers Weekly.

Gunnar Broberg (1942–2022) was professor emeritus of history of ideas and sciences at Lund University in Sweden. He was the author of numerous books, including Golden Apples, which won the August Prize for best Swedish nonfiction title of the year, and The History of the Night, which was nominated for Best Swedish History Book of the Year. Anna Paterson, a retired neuroscientist, is an award-winning translator and the author of Scotland’s Landscape: Endangered Icon.

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