Dodo Birds and Horse Guts: An Exploration of The Natural History Collection of the Royal Society

Author: Wren Walston

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Bridget Whearty, Jeremy Dibbell

Easel: 52

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: In 1681, the Royal Society commissioned Nehemiah Grew to create The Natural History Collection, a database of scholarly descriptions and engravings of specimens owned by the society as well as his own research of comparative guts. Binghamton University’s copy has multiple pages where individual words have been handwritten over in brown ink. A bookseller’s note on the inside cover hints that the corrections are Grew’s own, yet a mystery still prevails. Every known copy, spanning over thirteen years of editions, have these same marks. This paper investigates the difficulties of producing scientific literature in the late 17th century as well as what is valued by the author, commissioner, and audience. It compares Binghamton’s copy with other institutions' copies, tracing the provenance through bookplates, and referencing Royal Society documents surrounding the imprimatur. Ultimately, these resources are utilized to trace how materiality reflects the value of scientific accuracy.