Available for the first time in English, Georges Cuvier's extraordinary History of the Natural Sciences provides a detailed chronological survey of the natural sciences spanning more than three millennia. Cuvier had encyclopedic knowledge, an incomparable memory, and fluency in many languages, making him the ideal person to investigate and interpret firsthand the scientific literature of Europe. Supplying a set of useful references to a vast ancient literature not easily found elsewhere, this first of five volumes offers new insight into the renowned French naturalist's concept of the natural sciences and the breadth of this human endeavor.