The Man Who Ate the Zoo: Frank Buckland, Forgotten Hero of Natural History

Journalist Girling delivers a delightful tribute to Frank Buckland (1826–1880), an eccentric natural history pioneer in Victorian England who, despite his contributions as a popular science writer, lecturer, and curator, is now little known. Buckland’s primary goal was to identify previously unused or unknown plant and animal species as new food sources for England’s poor, and he carried this interest in strange foodstuffs into his personal life. He earned a reputation at school for cooking unique breakfasts for his classmates that included marmots, doves, and frogs; later in his career, he treated lecture attendees to rhinoceros pie. Buckland’s scientific curiosity had no boundaries—his studies extended to cobra venom, with nearly disastrous results, and an unusual postmortem to identify the cause of his father’s death. His studies turned, finally, to his life’s work—fish. The book’s detail is extraordinary, especially for an obscure historical figure, and Girling’s straightforward style, peppered with humorous anecdotes, makes for lively reading. Buckland was clearly ahead of his time, identifying looming problems of pollution and overfishing. Sadly, he “died too soon” to receive the credit due to him, but this affectionate biography provides some overdue credit to a fascinating pioneer. (July)