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The Biodiversity Heritage Library makes its archive accessible

The online library dedicated to biodiversity makes available on Flicker over 2 million images with scientific illustrations, photographs and drawings.

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In a world dominated by industrial farming and climate change, when human-caused extinction afflicts millions of species and wildlife accounts for only 3 percent of earth’s land animals, immersing ourselves in the tradition of naturalist writing, art, and photography can help us reconnect with the magical world we live in.

Great and small game of Africa, Major A.J. Arnold (and 24 others), 1899, page 705
The reptile book; a comprehensive popularised work on the structure and habits of the turtles, tortoises, crocodilians, lizards and snakes which inhabit the United States and northern Mexico, 1915
A monograph of the genus Casuarius, 1900
Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History, 1902.
The angora and mohair industry in the Northwest; also a full report and proceedings of the Northwest Angora Goat Association held in Portland, Oregon, January 4-7, 1911
Wild oxen, sheep & goats of all lands, living and extinct, 1898. Lydekker, Richard, 1849-1915
The Ibis, British Ornithologists' Union, 1859
A general history of birds, Latham, John, 1740-1837
Great and small game of Africa, Major A.J. Arnold (and 24 others), 1899
The birds of Africa, comprising all the species which occur in the Ethiopian region, 1896. Shelley, G. E. (George Ernest), 1840-1910 Sclater, W. L. (William Lutley), 1863-1944 Grönvold, Henrik, 1858-1940
A general history of birds, 1821
Ants: their structure, development and behavior, 1910, Wheeler, William Morton (1865-1937)
Seal and salmon fisheries and general resources of Alaska, 1898
Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History, 1902
Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 1846
Dreer's garden book, 1915, Henry A. Dreer (Firm) Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection
Floral gems, 1891, McGregor Bros; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection
12th annual price list & catalogue of fresh and reliable garden, field and flower seeds : grown and sold on the seed farm of Samuel Wilson, 1888
Smithsonian Institution Bulletin; United States. Dept. of the Interior; United States National Museum, 1961-62

Recently, The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), an “open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives seeking to inspire discovery through free access to biodiversity knowledge” has uploaded over 2 million wondrous nature images to Flickr as part of the Art of Life project, offering a great opportunity for serendipitous discovery via browsing.

Addisonia, colored illustrations and popular descriptions of plants, 1916. New York Botanical Garden

With two carefully curated streams that count over 2 million images in total, Flickr has become a central component of BHL, providing it with an easy way to showcase its amazing images and allowing any user who’s interested in gorgeous natural history and botanical illustrations to go one place and quickly browse an almost infinite amount of images.

Ichthyologie; ou, Histoire naturelle des poissonsBloch, Marcus Elieser, 1723-1799

The BHL’s massive photo stream is a treasure including illustrations from nature, advertisements, and imaginative renderings, thus offering a huge potential for discovery: one can quickly feel the thrill of exploring the library’s archive and start aimlessly wandering, filled with wonder, scientific curiosity and deep appreciation for the earth’s biodiversity.

  • Flickr – bookcollectionbiodiversity
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