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John van Wyhe (B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab)) is a historian of science and Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Biology and History at the National University of Singapore. He is the founder and Director of Darwin Online, a Bye-Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, Scientific Associate of the Natural History Museum (London) and member of the British Society for the History of Science.
His
research has challenged the traditional view that Charles Darwin was afraid to publish or kept his theory secret for 20 years (see Darwin's delay).
For 2009 van Wyhe published four books on Darwin: Darwin's shorter publications, Darwin's notebooks from the voyage of the Beagle, Darwin in Cambridge and an accessible biography: Darwin. (The American edition is now available and recently in French.)
He led the restoration of Darwin's Christ's College rooms [click here and here as photographed by Allison Maletz] and is setting up a new research project on the life and work of Alfred Russel Wallace in Singapore.
Dr van Wyhe lectures and broadcasts on Darwin, evolution, science and religion and the history of science around world. See Press for various interviews and podcasts and the audio book of the Beagle Diary.
Contact: dbsjmvw@nus.edu.sg Phone: +65 660 11163
| Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore 14 Science Drive 4 Singapore 117543 |
Office: S1 level 4 |
Books
Charles Darwin's shorter publications 1829-1883. Cambridge University Press, 2009, xxvi + 529pp. (Amazon link)
Charles Darwin's notebooks from the voyage of the Beagle. Cambridge University Press, 2009, with G. Chancellor & K. Rookmaaker, xxiii + 650pp. (Amazon link)
Darwin in Cambridge. Cambridge: Christ’s College, 2009, 75pp. [available from Christ's College, & online from Heffers bookshop, Cambridge]
Darwin. Andre Deutsch, 2008/National Geographic, USA, 2009, 64pp. (Amazon: UK, USA)
Phrenology and the origins of Victorian scientific naturalism. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004, xvii + 282pp. (Amazon link)
Combe's Constitution of man, and nineteenth-century responses. Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 2004, 3 vols., 1,150pp. (Amazon link)
In progress
Darwin's field notes from the voyage of the Beagle (with Gordon Chancellor).
The letters of Johann Gaspar Spurzheim. c. 320pp.
An iconography of Charles Darwin (with Gene Kritsky).
Scholarly articles and book chapters
2010 ‘Almighty God! what a wonderful discovery!’: Did Charles Darwin really believe life came from space? Endeavour.
2010 Commemorating Charles Darwin. The evolutionary review 1, No. 1.
2009 Charles Darwin's Cambridge Life 1828-1831. Journal of Cambridge studies 4 (4) (December): 2-13.
2009 Contribution in J. F. Derry ed., Darwin in Scotland: Edinburgh, Evolution and Enlightenment. Whittles
Publishing.
2009 Darwin Online and the evolution of the Darwin industry. History of Science 47 (4) No. 158: 459-476.
2009 Charles Darwin 1809 - 2009. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 41: 251-3.
2009 Darwin Online. Science progress 92, part 3/4, pp. 485-6.
2007 The diffusion of phrenology through public lecturing. in A. Fyfe and B. Lightman eds., Science in the marketplace: nineteenth-century sites and experiences. Chicago: University Press, pp. 60-96.
2007 Mind the gap: Did Darwin avoid publishing his theory for many years? Notes and Records of the Royal Society 61: 177-205.
2004 Was phrenology a reform science? Towards a new generalization for phrenology. History of Science xlii: 313-331.
2002 The authority of human nature: the Schädellehre of Franz Joseph Gall. British Journal for the History of Science (March): 17-42.
Forthcoming
Historicizing contextualism. in P. Kjærgaard ed., History and ideas: science, politics,philosophy. Cambridge Scholars Press.
Introduction. Darwin’s Journal of researches. 1890 edn. Ushuaia: Zagier.
Darwin Online. Science Reviews.
'Johan Gaspar Spurzheim' Neue Deutsche Biographie (2010) 24: 770-1.In progress
'Was Darwin the naturalist on the Beagle or not?'
'The Annie Darwin hypothesis: Did the death of his daughter cause Darwin to "give up Christianity"?' (With Mark Pallen)
'Where do Darwin's finches come from? The evolution of the most prolific legend about Charles Darwin 1880-1980'.
Wallace, Darwin and South East Asia: The real birthplace of evolution. SAGE. Cambridge University Press.
Alfred Russel Wallace. in M. Ruse ed. Encyclopedia of Darwin and his influence. Cambridge University Press.Other shorter publications
2009 Essential reading: Charles Darwin. BBC History Magazine 10, No. 9 (September): 90.
2009 The voyage of the Beagle by James Taylor. BBC History Magazine 10, No. 3: 70.
2009 Darwin vs God. BBC History Magazine 10, No. 1 (January): 26-31. [Cover story]
2009 Darwin and music. Cambridge Music Festival 2009: Music and Evolution, pp. 14, 19.
2009 Darwin's theory is still a hot debate. Cambridge Evening News (3 Feb.)
2009 Darwin and evolution: what does it matter? Mens' Health Magazine.
2008 ‘Darwin, su vida’ in Desde la memoria: Historia, medicina y ciencia en torno a…Darwin Fundación de Ciencias de la Salud Darwin. Madrid, pp. 7-19.
2008 A reception study in the making? The unprecedented reception of Darwin's private papers online. Viewpoint: Newsletter of the British Society for the History of Science (June) No. 86: 5.
2008 Darwin Online (reply to review by Jonathan Smith), Journal of Victorian Culture 13, 1, (Spring): 119-120.
2008 Dinner with Darwin. New Humanist Magazine (January) 123, No. 1, pp. 15-17.
2008 The correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15. Isis (March): 99(1): 196-7.
2008 Misconceptions. The Guardian [Saturday pamphlet] (9 February).
2007 A Darwin manuscript at Christ’s College, Christ's College Magazine pp. 66-8.
2007 Darwin discovery [cheque at Christ's College] Viewpoint: Newsletter of the British Society for the History of Science No. 82 (February), p. 13.
2007 The launch and reception of Darwin Online. Notes and Records of the Royal Society 61: 63-5. (With A. Basman)
2007 Paul Chambers, Bones of contention: The fossil that shook science. John Murray, 2003. Viewpoint: Newsletter of the British Society for the History of Science 12-13.
2006 Phrenology. In J. Merriman and J. Winter, eds. Encyclopedia of Europe: 1789-1918. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
2006 The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. D-Lib Magazine (December) 12, 12.
2006 Michael Hagner, Geniale Gehirne. Isis 97 (1).
2006 A new life online. Endeavour 30, no. 2, p. 119.
2006 The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. Notes and Records of the Royal Society 60: 87-9.
2006 The history of science is dead. Long live the history of science! Viewpoint: Newsletter of the British Society for the History of Science (June) No. 80.
2005 Phrenology. Scribner’s Encyclopedia of Europe 1789-1914.
2005 Entries on Cultural Evolution, Phrenology, Psychological Materialism. Encylopedia of British Philosophy.
2005 Review of Finger, Origins of Neuroscience: A History of Explorations into Brain Function, 2001. British Journal for the History of Science 38 (June): 222-3.
2005 A Reason for Everything: Natural Selection and the English Imagination. by Marek Kohn. Human Nature Review 5: 1-4.
2005 The descent of words: Evolutionary thinking 1780-1880. Endeavour 29: 94-100.
2004 Alfred Russel Wallace: in a court of his own. Evolution 58, No. 12 (December): 2840-2841.
2004 Being of my opinion about humans [review of] Moore, Being me: what it means to be human. Endeavour 28, 4 (December): 141-2.
2004 [Twelve entries in] B. Lightman ed., Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Scientists. 4 vols. Bristol: Thoemmes Press.
2003 George Combe’s Constitution of man and the law of hereditary descent. A cultural history of heredity II, Max Planck Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, preprint series, pp. 165-74.
2003 Science vs. religion or my gods are better than your gods? The controversies over Combe’s Constitution of Man 1826-60. Intellectual News 11/12, pp. 24-31.
2003 [Various entries] Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Scientists. Bristol: Thoemmes Press.
2003 Charles Darwin on variation under nature. Green Trend Magazine (India)
2003 In Darwin’s Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace: A Biographical Study on the Psychology of History by Michael Shermer. Human Nature Review 3: 166-8.
2002 George Combe. The Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Philosophers. Bristol: Thoemmes Press, pp. 271-2.
2002 Phrenology. Skeptic's Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. Abc-Clio, pp. 170-172.
Online publications
2010 Darwin's list of fossil wood specimens from the Beagle (transcription)
2010 What 1835 Chile quake taught Darwin. CNN Opinion
2010 John van Wyhe on Tahiti. VPRO
2010 Ship's Journal: John van Wyhe and Anthony in the footsteps of Darwin. VPRO (watch video) (YouTube)
2009 Francis Darwin's annotated copy of the Origin of Species (1859)
2009 [Memorial of A. R. Wallace for a Civil List Pension]. (1880) CUL-DAR91.95-98
2009 [Outline of the 1842 sketch of species theory]. CUL-DAR6.14
2009 [Abstract of species theory sent to Asa Gray]. [1857] CUL-DAR6.51
2009 Darwin's student bills at Christ's College, Cambridge
2009 1909: The first Darwin centenary
2009 'Utricularia' [draft of Insectivorous plants, p. 427]
2008 Darwin's Papers & Manuscripts: an introduction.
2008 Charles Darwin's Papers Online
2008 [Notes on reading Sumner's Evidence of Christianity]. [c. 1827.] CUL-DAR91.114-118
2008 Comparison of three versions of Darwin's Queries about expression.
2008 [Emma Darwin's Reminiscences of Charles Darwin's last years.] CUL-DAR210.9
2008-9 1831-1836 Lecturer's Book. CC-T.8.2
2007 Freeman, R. B. Charles Darwin: A companion. 2d online ed. compiled by Sue Asscher (edited by John van Wyhe).
2007 Darwin's notebooks on geology, transmutation, metaphysical enquiries and reading lists
2007 A Darwin manuscript discovered at Christ's College after a century in darkness (Christ's College)
2007 Introduction to Darwin Online
2007 Introduction to the Harker Catalogue, Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences.
2007 'The position of the bones of Mastodon (?) at Port St Julian is of interest' (2.1835) CUL-DAR42.97-99
2007 [Emma Darwin's memo about Darwin's religious doubts] (c. 2.1839) CUL-DAR210.8.14
2006 Photograph of Charles Darwin by Maull and Polyblank for the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club (1855)
2006 Darwin and Christ's College
2006-9 Darwin's Beagle field notebooks. Transcribed and edited by Gordon Chancellor, John van Wyhe & Kees Rookmaaker.
2006 'Journal' (1809-1881). CUL-DAR158.1-76 and Introduction.
2006 'Admissions to Christ College' [1827] CC-T.1.2
2006 [University Museum of Zoology accession catalogue, pp. 187-8] (1897) UMZC-Catalogue
2006 'Admissions 1818-1828' CC-T.1.4 Introduction to the Admissions books.
2006 'Admissions 1815-1852' CC-T.3.1
2006 'Admissions to Christ College' [1827] CC-T.1.2
2006 Darwin's insects in Stephens' Illustrations of British entomology (1829-32)
2006 Introduction to Darwin's Catalogue of the appendages and other parts of Cirripedes, mounted as microscopical slides. (1854-5)]. The University Museum of Zoology Cambridge,
2006 cheque by Charles Darwin 'to self' (Union Bank of London) 1872.03.21 Introduction
2005 [Photograph of a Robin] Birds of Britain (March) [a bit of fun]
2005- The Darwin Manuscript Catalogue. The most complete union catalogue of the manuscripts and papers of Darwin ever published.
2005- The Freeman Bibliographical Database. The most complete bibliography of Darwin’s writings ever published.
2002- The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online (http://darwin-online.org.uk/) Edited by John van Wyhe. The largest edition of Darwin’s works and manuscripts ever published. For van Wyhe's numerous introductions see here.
2002-3 Editor of The Victorian Web (http://www.victorianweb.org/) Edited and contributed to section: ‘Victorian science: An overview’.
2002 Charles Darwin: gentleman naturalist: A biographical sketch
2002-3 Views of Victorian Cambridge, part of the Victorian Web
1999- The history of phrenology on the web (http://www.historyofphrenology.org.uk/).
24.07.10 Charles Darwin really was the naturalist on the Beagle. British Society for the History of Science annual conference, Aberdeen University.
25.06.10 Private blueprints for public science: the notebooks of Darwin and Wallace. William Henry Fox Talbot: Beyond Photography, CRASSH, University of Cambridge.
11.07.09 In Darwin's pocket. The Beagle field notebooks. Darwin in the field, Sedgwick Museum, University of Cambridge.
05.07.09 Darwin's notebooks. British Society for the History of Science annual conference, University of Leicester.
24.06.09 Darwin and the tree of life. Willi Hennig Society Meeting, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
15.05.09 Why aren't the social sciences Darwinian? Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies. Cambridge University.
04.07.08 "Almighty God! what a wonderful discovery!" Did Charles Darwin really believe life came from outer space?' British Society for the History of Science annual conference, Oxford University.
26.07.07 Darwin’s delay: another historiographical myth? The International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, Exeter.
30.06.07 Darwin and the matrix: Darwin Online and future historiography. British Society for the History of Science annual conference, Manchester University.
24.04.07 Darwin's loss of faith. Faraday Institute, University of Cambridge.
26.02.07 Was Darwin afraid to publish? The evidence is clear. Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, evidence seminar.
11.01.07 Darwin Online. Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, University of Cambridge.
04.12.06 Did Darwin delay? Popular myths about Darwin. Evolution til alle. Aarhus University, Denmark.
07.06 Mind the gap: did Darwin avoid publishing his theory? British Society for the History of Science annual conference, Canterbury University.
- 02.06 Darwin and the Galapagos finches. Darwin Day, Birmingham University.
07.11.06 Darwin in conversation with his critics, Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities.
11.05 Where do Darwin’s finches come from? Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities.
12.09.05 The famous Darwin finches. History of Science Department, Aarhus University, Denmark.
07.05 Darwin’s finches: the evolution of a legend in the history of science. British Society for the History of Science annual conference, Leeds University.
04.12.04 Darwin’s finches: the pleasures and perils of science popularisation. Aarhus University, Denmark.
2-3.8.04 The diffusion of phrenology via public lectures: Defusing anti-diffusion in the historiography of science. Popular science: 19th century sites and experiences, York University, Canada.
27.06.04 The descent of words: the content and contexts of evolutionary thinking 1780-1880. British Society for the History of Science annual conference, Liverpool University.
05.03.04 Digitizing Darwin, Research and the internet: the case of the history of science. Maison Française, Oxford University.
18.07.03 Phrenological Controversy: was it between groups or individuals? British Society for the History of Science annual conference, University of York.
20.05.03 Historicizing contextualism: a new perspective for the history of ideas. History of Political Thought Seminar, Trinity College Cambridge.
24.04.03 The ‘diffusion’ of science in the nineteenth century: sloppy metaphor or accurate description? Institutkollokvium ved Institut for Videnskabshistorie, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
01.03 George Combe’s Constitution of man and the law of hereditary descent. A cultural history of heredity, Max Planck Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin.
27.07.01 Science vs. religion or my gods are better than your gods? The controversies over Combe’s Constitution of Man 1826-60. 'Quarrels, Polemics and Controversies', International Society for Intellectual History, Trinity College, Cambridge University.
04.01 Old phrenology and new neuroscience: false accusations? Images of the Mind, Anthropology Department, Goldsmiths College, University of London.
17.03.01 Phrenology: an international science. European conference on physiognomy. Paris, hosted by the École Normale Supérieure.
27.11.00 Spurzheim: co-founder of phrenology or plagiarist? Cabinet of Natural History (Cambridge Group for the History of Natural History), HPS Cambridge University.
31.01.00 Travels of a Craniologist: Franz Joseph Gall and his European lecture tour 1805-1807. Cabinet of Natural History (Cambridge Group for the History of Natural History), HPS Cambridge University.
12.01.00 "phrenological, which is another word for natural": Reassessing the British phrenology debates 1815- c. 1830, British Society for the History of Science Conference, HPS Cambridge University.
9 Feb. 2010 San Diego State University, California.
7 Feb. 2010 Keynote lecture. Stanford University, California.
7 Feb. 2010 Why Darwin really gave up Christianity. The Humanist Community of Silicon Valley, California.
4 Dec. 2009 Porto University, Portugal.
28 Nov. 2009 National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.
27 Nov. 2009 Oundle School.
12 Nov. 2009 Darwin Day at Aarhus University, Denmark.
13 Oct. 2009 Darwin Society, Christ's College, Cambridge.
11 Oct. 2009 Ilkley Playhouse Wildman Studio, Weston Road, Ilkley.
26 Sept. 2009 Christ's College Alumni lecture.
26 Sept. 2009 Cambridge Library Group.
23 Sept. 2009 Centre for Life in Newcastle upon Tyne.
16 Sept. 2009 Life and Earth Scientists: SE Asian Gateway Meeting at Royal Holloway, University of London.
9 Sept. 2009 Department of History, National University of Singapore.
7 Sept. 2009 Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore.
24 July 2009 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution.
27 June 2009 University of Northampton.
22 June 2009 National University of Singapore.
13 June 2009 Cambridge Local Girton Association, Girton College, Cambridge.
22 May 2009 University of Birmingham.
16 May 2009 Darwin in London. Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons & Grant Museum of Zoology.
6 May 2009 Cambridge University atheist & agnostic society, Cambridge Union.
21 April 2009 Mid-Maine Global Forum, Waterville, Maine.
20 April 2009 Colby College, Waterville, Maine.
17 April 2009 Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Cincinnati.
16 April 2009 University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
10 April 2009 Huntingdon Library, Los Angeles, California.
9 April 2009 Oklahoma University.
8 April 2009 University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Wisconsin.
4 April 2009 Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Colorado.
3 April 2009 American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Chicago.
1 April 2009 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio.
30 March 2009 Boston University, Massachusetts.
28 March 2009 Ramsbottom Lecture, Society for the History of Natural History, National Museum of Wales.
12 March 2009 Clare College Research Symposium 2009.
22 Feb. 2009 National History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen.
13 Feb. 2009 Winchester Discovery Centre.
12 Feb. 2009 Christ's College, Cambridge.
9 Feb. 2009 University of St Andrews.
5-6 Feb. 2009 Natural History Museum, Milan.
26.09.08 What Darwin really said about humans. British Council, Cafe Scientifique. Athens-Sofia.
19.09.08 Darwin's life. Shrewsbury School, Shrewsbury.
07.05.08 Charles Darwin – his life and legacy. Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid, Spain.
08.02.08 A century of celebrating Darwin: The evolution and extinction of historical myths. Darwin industries Inc. Getting in gear for 2009. University of Aarhus, Denmark.
14.11.07 Rediscovering Darwin: The real story of Darwin's finches. 11th Annual Grant Lecture, Grant Museum of Zoology, University College London.
20.10.07 Launch of Darwin Online. Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, Cambridge University.
22.09.07 Did Darwin really avoid publishing his theory of evolution? Alumni lecture, Christ's College, Cambridge.
15.09.07 Darwin's delay. Alumni lecture, Christ's College, Cambridge.
07.07.07 Darwin and Christ's College. Alumni lecture, Christ's College, Cambridge.
18.04.07 Did Darwin really delay publishing his theory for many years? Natural History Museum, London.
26.04.06 Darwin's Finches. Icons of the Galapagos, British Library.
28.09.05 Darwin and evolution. Natural History Museum, Aarhus, Denmark.
28.09.05 Darwinising the history of ideas. Society for the History of Ideas, Aarhus University, Denmark.
23.03.03 What is science popularisation? History of Science Popularisation, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
28.12.01 Naturforscher oder Scharlatan? Der Schädellehrer Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). Sitzungssaal of the Rathaus of Weil der Stadt, Germany.
2010- Scientific Associate, The Natural History Museum (London).
2010- Joint Appointment to the University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore.
2009- Senior Lecturer, Departments of Biology and History, National University of Singapore.
2009- Associate of the Science, Technology & Society (STS) Cluster, FASS, National University of Singapore.
2009- Associate of the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore.
2009- Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.
2009- Editorial Board of The evolutionary review.
2005-9 Editorial Board of Centaurus.
2005- Life member of the Biological Society, University of Cambridge.
2005- Bye-Fellow, Christ's College, Cambridge.
2005-9 Member of Regents House, University of Cambridge.
2005-8 Director of the Wheeler Library of the British Society for the History of Science.
2005-8 Editor of the British Society for the History of Science Monograph series.
2005-8 Member of Council and Trustee of the British Society for the History of Science.
2005 Visiting Associate Professor, History of Ideas Department, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
2003-5 Research Fellow, Correspondence of Alfred Russel Wallace Project, Open University.
2002- Founder and Director of The Complete Work of Charles Darwin online (formerly The writings of Charles Darwin on the web)
2002-3 Senior Research Fellow, University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore.
2002-3 Editor of the Science section of the Victorian Web.
2001- Affiliated Research Scholar, Department of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge.
1999- Member of The Cambridge Historical Society.
1999-2000 Organizer of the Pan-historical Methods seminar, History Faculty, University of Cambridge. (An interdisciplinary seminar for the presentation of specialized historical research to a general historian audience.)
© 2002-10 The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online Contact the Director: Dr John van Wyhe.
File last updated 1 September, 2010
