登入
選單
返回
Google圖書搜尋
The Letters of Ferdinand Von Hochstetter to Julius Von Haast
Sascha Nolden
其他書名
An Annotated Scholarly Edition
出版
University of Auckland
, 2007
URL
http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=o5GwswEACAAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api
註釋
In the first section of this thesis, the life of Ferdinand von Hochstetter (1829-1884) will be presented in a concise, fully referenced biography, based on both published and unpublished sources in German and English, which aims to provide a new insight into the life of one of the foremost scientists of the nineteenth century to have visited New Zealand, where he completed important pioneering field work, culminating in the publication of some of the first geological maps of parts of New Zealand, a monumental German and English monograph on New Zealand, and an important geological work based on his research as part of the circumnavigation of the globe on the Novara, 1857- 1859. The biography examines his life, beginning with his childhood and study in Germany, followed by his move to Vienna where he worked in the Imperial Geological Survey of Austria, his time as a member of the Novara expedition and appointment as Professor at the Technical University of Vienna and tutor of natural sciences to the Crown Prince of Austria, his later interest in prehistoric anthropology and ethnological research, his influence as president of the Geographical Society of Vienna and appointment as director of the new Imperial Natural History Museum in Vienna, and his final years, illness and death. We are thereby able to gain an insight into the destiny and fortunes of someone who was actively interested and involved in almost all areas of scientific endeavour. In the second section of the thesis, the letters of Ferdinand von Hochstetter to Sir Julius von Haast (1822-1887) are presented in transcription, with extensive annotations placing them in both historical and biographical context, and in English translation. As communications between scientists in New Zealand and German-speaking Europe, they provide a detailed first-hand account of the historical development of science in the relatively young British colony of New Zealand and the growing awareness of New Zealand in imperial Austria. New Zealand, having offered a great opportunity for the young geologist to contribute to its exploration, and having been thoroughly rewarded through the able work of Hochstetter, was later introduced to the German-speaking world through the monumental work Neu-Seeland, published in 1863. Through the letters one can follow the development of Hochstetter's work on New Zealand, his constant interest in all developments in the colony and the continued efforts of a man devoted to science. On another level these letters also provide an insight into the close personal relationship between two leading scientists working at opposite ends of the world with many biographical parallels. Thus both Haast and Hochstetter moved from being surveying field geologists to working as museum founders and directors and engaging in intense programmes of exchanges of specimens and letters with other scientists around the world.