A NEW book examining how the Victorians transformed the study of bugs and insects from a hobby to respected science has been published by Dr John Clark, director of the Institute for Environmental History at the University of St Andrews.

Bugs And The Victorians focuses on creepy-crawlies in Victorian times, as well as the naturalists, scientists and collectors who studied them to examine the social, scientific and political history of an age.

As the 19th century scientific revolution took hold, so grew the fascination with classifying the natural world.

The book demonstrates the relationship between the radical social and economic developments of the time, such as the theories of life and evolution, industrialisation, urbanisation and the study of the insect world—as well as the impact such studies had on Victorian culture.

Dr Clark said, “As a historian, I am especially fascinated by the changing cultures of science, and the many ways in which people have perceived the natural world in the past.

“The teeming world of insects—and the men and women who studied them —have provided me with a myriad of engaging contexts.”

Using a number of sources and notable characters who devoted their lives to the study of bugs, Dr Clark reveals the insect life that wove the social fabric of a century, and the surprising impact entomology had on modern science.