Description
6 autographed letters signed from Joseph Banks to
various correspondents including E.A.J. Anisson; Samuel Glasse, 1735-1812;
J.J.H. La Billardiere, 1755-1834; Samule Lysons, 1763-1819; and John Symmons, d.
1832.
Background
Botanist and naturalist, Sir Joseph Banks, FRS, was born into a wealthy
land-owning family on February 12, 1743. He expressed a particular interest in
botany at an early age and after inheriting his family's fortune in the 1760's,
was free to fully engage in his passion. He accompanied James Cook aboard the
H.M.S Endeavor on his first voyage to Tahiti in 1768. The specimens collected on
this voyage accounted for approximately 110 new genera and 1300 new species.
After this trip, he became actively involved in promoting the British
colonization of Australia. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1766, he
became president in 1778, a post he held until his death on June 19, 1820. The
Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, also known as
the Royal Society, was founded in London in 1660. The Society began in the
1640's as a discussion group among natural philosophers. Its purpose was to
investigate and support experiential science. The Society became the United
Kingdom's national academy of science, supporting and facilitating the work and
education of members of the scientific community throughout the UK and the
Commonwealth.
Restrictions
Property rights in the physical objects belong to the UCLA Biomedical
Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and
their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds
the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission
to publish if the Biomedical Library does not hold the copyright.
Availability
Collection is open for research. Materials are available on site for use.