The 12th Annual Robert Grant Lecture
Mary Anning: "The greatest fossilist the world ever knew"
Prof. Hugh Torrens
JZ Young Lecture Theatre, UCL Anatomy Building
Wednesday 12 Nov 2008 at 4:30pm
Despite the fact that she was an uneducated, working-class woman from Devon, Mary Anning (1799-1847) broke through the male-dominated field of geology to become one of the most important fossil collectors ever.
She discovered the first ever plesiosaurs, the first British pterosaurs and several amazing ichthyosaurs but she was rarely given the credit. A religious Nonconformist, who published nothing and travelled little, her life is difficult for historians to study but proves to be fascinating.
This lecture explores all of these problems, and outlines Anning's extraordinary achievements. Her work as a "merely commercial" collector of fossils opens up the complex debate about who is
amateur and who professional.
Professor Hugh Torrens, former President of the British Society for the History of Science and the International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences is the leading expert on Anning's life, and has published over 200 books, articles and papers.
Following the lecture, join us for a free glass of wine in a private view of the Museum.
This event is free and there is no need to book.
All are welcome.
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