The Mentor: American Naturalists, Vol. 7, Num. 9, Serial No. 181, June 15, 1919

Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9

Word count: 67K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Mentor: American Naturalists, Vol. 7, Num. 9, Serial No. 181, June 15, 1919Author: Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Aug 2, 2014

Editor's review

This 1919 issue of The Mentor is a themed number on American naturalists, written by Ernest Ingersoll. Aimed at a general readership and illustrated with images and text, it introduced figures and ideas in natural history and stands as a representative example of early twentieth-century popular science publishing. This issue focuses on the people and contributions within the American natural history tradition; it is short, accessible in tone, and bears the marks of its era. Its value lies less in cutting-edge scientific conclusions than in showing how the public understood natural research and naturalists a century ago, making it an intriguing slice of the history of science communication and natural history reading. Readers may treat it as a historical popular-science document and should note the period limitations of its views and phrasing. It suits readers interested in the history of natural history, American scientific culture, or the form of old magazines, and also works as English extensive reading material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of natural history and science communication
English-language readers who enjoy old magazines, period documents, and historical popular science
Natural history enthusiasts willing to learn about early twentieth-century American naturalists
Students or self-learners needing short English extensive reading material

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the latest knowledge in contemporary biology or ecology
Learners needing a systematic natural history textbook and a complete disciplinary framework
Readers sensitive to the period limitations of historical documents and unwilling to interpret context

Reading tips

Read it through as a single old magazine issue, first taking in the column structure and illustrated style
Note names and institutions while reading, then check biographical background against modern sources
Compare it with documentaries or modern popular science on American natural history to observe differences in narrative
For English extensive reading, read a short section each day, focusing on the main thread of people and contributions

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a book or a magazine issue?

According to the material, this is Volume 7, Number 9, Serial No. 181 of The Mentor, published June 15, 1919, on the theme of American naturalists. It is closer to a themed magazine issue than a complete monograph, and both its length and structure have periodical characteristics.

Does the content include illustrations?

The material does not specify the illustration situation and can only confirm that it is an issue of The Mentor. The magazine was historically known for illustrated popularization, but the actual layout and images of this issue should be checked against the electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg; readers should not assume there are illustrations.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can be used as English extensive reading material; the language is aimed at a general readership and is of moderate difficulty. However, it was written in 1919, so some expressions differ from today's English, and it involves proper names of naturalists. It is best to focus on understanding the content, look up unfamiliar words, and not read it word by word.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946 Author

Ernest Ingersoll (1852–1946) was a prolific author chiefly known for his writings on natural history and popular science. The library holds eight of his works, spanning bird legend and folklore, general zoology, the ocean, travel accounts of Alaska and the Rocky Mountains, and a mining novel, showing that he was capable both of careful popular science and of blending travel observation with narrative. His prose is clear and readable, valuing field observation and the spread of knowledge, and addressed to general readers rather than specialists. Birds in Legend, Fable and Folklore and The Book of the Ocean reflect his tendency to combine natural knowledge with humanistic anecdote, while his travel books carry a distinct air of period exploration. Because public information is limited, biographical details remain unavailable; readers may appreciate his style and his place in the tradition of nature writing through these works.