A man of many talentsnaturalist, geographer, anthropologist, and political commentatorAlfred Russel Wallace made seminal contributions to science in the nineteenth century. With Wallace in the Field, Victor Rafael Limeira-DaSilva unpacks the early life of one of the most beloved and famous Victorian scientific figures. Focusing on Wallaces significant contribution to the emergence of anthropology, Limeira-DaSilva traces the peripatetic trajectory of Wallaces field work, from his humble beginnings in the suburbs of London to his travels through the Brazilian Amazon and Asia. Challenging traditional portrayals that cast Wallace as Darwins sidekick or a casual ethnographer, the book demonstrates how he built a deliberate and ambitious career as a field observer of human diversity. It offers a fresh perspective on the intersections between ethnographic encounters, racial science, and knowledge production, revealing how Wallaces pursuit of recognition helped redefine the standards of scientific authority in British anthropology.
