The Naturalist
The remarkable life of Allan Riverstone McCulloch
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For lovers of natural history, this is the first book to explore Allan Riverstone McCulloch’s scientific genius, artistic talents and his crucial role in the development of the Australian Museum.
Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885–1925) was a leading scientist and talented illustrator, the Australian Museum’s most senior curator and its star exhibition designer. So why has history ignored his many contributions?
A free spirit and an expert on Australia’s fish species, McCulloch was happiest collecting specimens on field trips to the Great Barrier Reef, Lord Howe Island and beyond. He escaped office politics at the museum to accompany cinematographer Frank Hurley on an expedition to tropical Papua in 1922, but controversy erupted when officials accused them of stealing sacred artefacts. The trip also left McCulloch with dysentery and malaria, and his mental health declined.
In The Naturalist, Brendan Atkins explores McCulloch’s scientific genius and artistic talents, and his crucial role in the development of the Australian Museum. It’s a revealing and unflinching look at the remarkable life of a brilliant yet troubled scientist.
Robyn Williams
Ken Gelder, co-author of The Colonial Kangaroo Hunt (2020) and Professor of English at the University of Melbourne
Louis Nowra
Cathy Perkins, author of The Shelf Life of Zora Cross
Delia Falconer
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Brendan Atkins was editor of the Australian Museum’s Explore magazine from 2006–2015 and is the author of Water and Antarctica. For many years he worked as an ecologist in the management of rivers and wetlands. He lives in Katoomba, Dharug Gundungurra Country.