Every Living Thing is a vibrantly told narrative of the early race for classification of the natural world related by Jason Robers. Released 9th April 2024 by Penguin Random House, it's 432 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
Acadmic rivalries are certainly nothing new. Here, the author provides parallel biographies of two very well known natural historians/scientists whose compulsion to categorize life on planet earth still resonate down to the present: Georges-Louis de Buffon and Carl Linnaeus.
The book is sparsely but well illustrated throughout, with numerous monochrome facsimile documents, paintings, and photos. The book is also very well annotated throughout, and the chapter notes and bibliography will provide readers with many hours of further reading.
Four and a half stars. This is not a rigorous academic monograph, but quite accessible and entertaining for the layman. It would be an excellent choice for public library, home use, or gift giving to fans of natural history and nonfiction.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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