Includes bibliographical references (p. 331-365) and index.

Introduction -- The world of Renaissance natural nistory -- The humanist invention of natural history -- A science of describing -- Common sense, classification, and the catalogue of nature -- Conclusion : what was Renaissance natural history.

Description based on print version record.

Out of the diverse traditions of medical humanism, classical philology, and natural philosophy, Renaissance naturalists created a new science devoted to discovering and describing plants and animals. In order to distinguish and catalog new plant and animal species, they developed new techniques of observing and recording, created botanical gardens and herbaria, and exchanged correspondence and specimens within an international community. Drawing on published natural histories, manuscript correspondence, garden plans, travelogues, watercolors, and drawings, The Science of Describing reconstruct.