Description: How did Europeans three centuries apart respond to two mysterious beasts--a living rhinoceros previously known only from ancient texts and a nameless monster's massive bones? Juan Pimentel shows that their reactions reflect deep cultural changes but also the enduring power of image and imagination to shape our understanding of the natural world.
Brief description: Juan Pimentel is Associate Professor of History of Science, Institute of History (CSIC), Madrid.
Review Quotes: In a series of brilliantly illuminating juxtapositions, between Renaissance and Revolution, between the worlds of the East and West Indies, and, above all, between the enterprises of analysis and description, Pimentel's astute book shows how the work of imagination and of ingenious imagery has long played a decisive if neglected role in making natural knowledge.--Simon Schaffer, University of Cambridge