Naturalist and antiquary. His,"The Natural History and Antiqities of Selbourne", based on letters to Daines Barrington and Thomas Pennent, was published in 1798 by White's brother Benjamin, a Fleet Street publisher. It is one of the few books on natural history to gain the rank of an English classic. Part of its secret was that Wright was a "prince among observers", nearly always observing the right thing at the right time and writing of what he saw witha great economy of words. It has been said: "open the book where you will, it takes you out of doors." White's father was a barrister, and his grandfather was vicar of St Mary's Church, Selbourne. At Oxford White became a fellow of Oriel College in 1744, dean of the college in 1752, and was ordained as a priest between those two dates. He served as a curate at nearby parishes and at Selbourne from 1751. He produced other works including of "The House-Swallows,", "Swift", and "Sand-Martin" but "The Natural History of Selbourne" is his paramount claim to fame. In addition to his publications on natural history, he is also noted as a poet. His house at Selbourne, the wakes, now contains the Gilbert White Musuem, as well as the Oates Memorial Musuem, commemerating Frank and Lawrence Oates. Captain Lawrence Oates accompanied Scott on the ill-fated expedition to the south pole in 1911. A biography of White, by Richard Mabey was published by Ebury Press in 1986 and won the Whitbread Biography of the Year award.
Naturalist and antiquary. His,"The Natural History and Antiqities of Selbourne", based on letters to Daines Barrington and Thomas Pennent, was published in 1798 by White's brother Benjamin, a Fleet Street publisher. It is one of the few books on natural history to gain the rank of an English classic. Part of its secret was that Wright was a "prince among observers", nearly always observing the right thing at the right time and writing of what he saw witha great economy of words. It has been said: "open the book where you will, it takes you out of doors." White's father was a barrister, and his grandfather was vicar of St Mary's Church, Selbourne. At Oxford White became a fellow of Oriel College in 1744, dean of the college in 1752, and was ordained as a priest between those two dates. He served as a curate at nearby parishes and at Selbourne from 1751. He produced other works including of "The House-Swallows,", "Swift", and "Sand-Martin" but "The Natural History of Selbourne" is his paramount claim to fame. In addition to his publications on natural history, he is also noted as a poet. His house at Selbourne, the wakes, now contains the Gilbert White Musuem, as well as the Oates Memorial Musuem, commemerating Frank and Lawrence Oates. Captain Lawrence Oates accompanied Scott on the ill-fated expedition to the south pole in 1911. A biography of White, by Richard Mabey was published by Ebury Press in 1986 and won the Whitbread Biography of the Year award.
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