Alfred Russel Wallace

Patrick Armstrong taught geography and ecology at the University of Western Australia for 28 years. He has written widely on the life and work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, and is the author of Alfred Russel Wallace (Reaktion, 2019).

A slickly written, reasonably comprehensive, and well-balanced account of Wallace’s life, no small achievement for such a complex subject. With the aid of a large number of judiciously chose illustrations and quotations, Armstrong presents a story that the average layperson or undergraduate student can easily appreciate. - MetascienceThe book is well illustrated, comprehensive and is presented in a direct and readable manner, displaying clearly the many sides of Wallace’s scientific career. The author gives us an enjoyably fascinating journey through Wallace’s life story, noting that “Wallace[’s] attributes were supreme courage and persistence, almost to the point of foolishness.” Perhaps, reading here of the massive contribution Wallace made to scientific knowledge, we might conclude that we all need to display a little foolishness from time to time! - Magonia Review of BooksPatrick Armstrong is well placed to explain the importance of Wallace’s contribution to the development of biogeography . . . He is a passionate advocate for Wallace and his contribution to science - Isis Journal