It was at the BioQuip display for the Entomological Society of America‘s 2019 annual meeting that I first became aware of Charles Valentine Riley. Those better versed in the history of entomology than I am are likely shocked by such an admission; however never being one demure from getting his education in public, I readily confess to all such instances of ignorance in my ongoing quest to correct as many of them as possible before finally shuffling off this mortal coil.
Fortunately, my discover of Mr. Riley’s existence came with its own educational program, the then just published book Charles Valentine Riley; Founder of Modern Entomology. Written and edited by W. Conner Sorensen, Edward H. Smith, Janet R. Smith, and Donald C. Weber, it is considered to be the definitive biography of the Nineteenth Century scientist and artist who is credited with establishing the “modern science of entomology that recognizes both the essential role of insects in natural systems and their challenge to the agricultural food supply that sustains humankind.”
A classically colorful figure in the very best sense of the Nineteenth Century, the British born Mr. Riley’s experiences included being a farm laborer, a working journalist, a soldier in the American Civil War, a correspondent of and ardent advocate for Charles Darwin, the chief federal entomologist of the United States, the founder of the National Insect Collection, and the initiator of what would become the Entomological Society of America. Quite the palette indeed for a compelling biography!
Available from:
