| | "The book is beautifully illustrated throughout with paintings and drawings (most by Becker) and photos of plants and animals collected and now in museums. This is a very fine book which redresses the imbalance between the hype and what was actually achieved by the Victorian Exploring Expedition. Well done, Joyce and McCann, for bringing it all together and also to the authors of each chapter for highlighting the achievements of the scientists of the Burke and Wills expedition, who0 made such a lasting and important contribution to the body of knowledge about the natural history of the interior of Australia."
Anne Morton, The Victorian Naturalist, p. 122, June 2012
"This handsome, beautifully illustrated volume is a tribute to the dedication of the editors, Bernie Joyce and Doug McCann, and to the enthusiastic additional thirteen authors. This is a long overdue work, beautifully produced, and is a credit to the authors and the powers behind them. Anyone interested in the history of Australian exploration and the history of science in Australia will find much to learn and enjoy."
David Branagan, The Australian Geologist, No. 163, June 2012
"This book is remarkable for its scope and thoroughness. This beautifully produced book is a monument to the efforts of the expedition's scientists and a tribute to their idealism, dedication, and powers of endurance as well as a scholarly account of what they achieved."
Geoff Hiller, Melbourne Club Newsletter, Library Acquisitions, May 2012
"This is a beautifully produced book, illustrated throughout with contemporary paintings and sketches, maps, and photographs of botanical specimens, all presented in full colour; the black and white photographs of significant individuals are excellently reproduced. Perhaps most importantly, the index is comprehensive and includes both scientific and common names for the many mentioned genera and species. Burke & Wills: The Scientific Legacy of the Victorian Exploring Expedition is a significant addition to the history of scientific endeavour in Australia."
Gary Presland, Historical Records of Australian Science, Volume 23 Number 1
"Overall this is an excellent account of the long-neglected scientific results of the Victorian Exploration Expedition, illustrated by original and contemporary material, and bringing together diaries and reports which otherwise would be difficult to access. Its wide coverage will appeal equally to scientists, historians and the general public."
Beth Gott, Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 150, March 2012
"I commend two of this year's books which, so far, I have not heard discussed. One is Burke & Wills: The Scientific Legacy of the Victorian Exploring Edition, a most scholarly book edited by E.B. Joyce and D.A. McCann. It is fascinating; nearly all experts have said that they left no scientific legacy, but this book shows how much the explorers and their team discovered."
Geoffrey Blainey, Australian Book Review 'Books of the Year', Dec 2011- Jan 2012, No 337
"The publicity for this outstanding collection of papers suggests that on the 150th anniversary of their public demise, the achievements of the Burke and Wills expedition are at last being "rediscovered". This is not an exaggeration. As Frank Leahy writes, while awaiting a lonely death on Cooper Creek, William John Wills "may have found some solace in the thought that he would be written about as a 'scientist' 150 years later".
Robert Willson, Canberra Times, 11 February 2012
"More than a long-awaited journal describing the wealth of scientific information collected by the expedition, McCann and Joyce’s heroic efforts lay a solid foundation of fact onto the popular accounts of this fascinating chapter of Australian colonial history. "
Heather Catchpole, COSMOS Magazine, Issue 44 Apr/May 2012
"A compelling read for anyone interested in science and natural history, as well as Australian colonial heritage."
4 X 4 Australia, January, 2012
"We can choose from geology, zoology, hydrology, meteorology and anthropology, or read the lot, as a collection of deeply rewarding and unexpectedly lyrical socio-scientific texts… this book is even larger and more moving than the sum of its parts."
Evelyn Juers, Weekend Australian, 19-Nov-2011
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