Early nineteenth-century natural history books reveal that British naturalists depended heavily on correspondence as a means for gathering information and specimens. Edward Newman commented in hisHistory of British Ferns: ‘Were I to make out a list ofallthe correspondents who have assisted me it would be wearisome from its length.’ Works such as William Withering'sBotanical Arrangementshow that artisans numbered among his correspondents. However, the literary products of scientific practice reveal little of the workings or such correspondences and how or why they (...) were sustained. An exchange or letters is maintained if the interests of both recipient and writer are satisfied. Withering's book tells us only that his interests were served by his correspondents; it allows us to say nothing with certainty about the interests of those who wrote to him. Published texts effectively hide the means by which the author determined the veracity of distant correspondents and also the way these informants demonstrated their credibility. (shrink)

Nature's palace, which is truly glorious in its sophistication, its splendour, and its firm construction, has attracted the eyes of all who are thirsty for knowledge to such an extent that they can scarcely turn away. But to penetrate into this shrine has been granted only to a few. Those, who have proved themselves worthy through much experience, are let into the anteroom, but the most sacred objects are kept as costly treasures in the inner chambers.1.