A Natural History of the Malay Archipelago: Orangutans and Birds of Paradise (Second Edition, 2 Volumes)

In March 1854, British naturalist Wallace left England for the Malay Archipelago, aiming to discover and collect species of plants and animals previously unknown to the Western world, both for his own personal collection and to provide copies to museums and amateur collectors. He then wandered from island to island for eight years, covering approximately 14,000 miles on 60 to 70 journeys, collecting over 120,000 biological specimens. During this time, "he encountered thousands of species unknown to Europe, became acutely aware of the diversity and differences in races and cultures, and even predicted the devastation civilization would wreak on the ecology. This journey not only enabled him, from his sickbed, to formulate his groundbreaking theory of evolution, but also to demonstrate that the taxonomy of flora and fauna on these numerous islands actually reflected an invisible boundary between Asia and Australia—all of which were Wallace's remarkable achievements. This remarkable journey is documented in his immortal work, A Natural Exploration of the Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orangutan and the Bird of Paradise."

Completed nearly 150 years ago, this travelogue remains a classic of natural history. Wallace meticulously documents the pristine, untouched conditions of the islands of the Malay Archipelago, introducing countless readers to a whole new world: giant flowers of the Rhapis family, the large green-winged birdwing, the "Prince of Butterflies," the human-like orangutan, the magnificent bird of paradise, an almost indistinguishable array of insects, the diverse customs of the islanders, and the unique natural landscape. Readers can sense the naturalist's boundless enthusiasm for the many rare and beautiful species, and share his joy at discovering a place unexplored where strange and unexpected treasures are revealed every day.

Alfred Russel Wallace

British naturalist, best known for co-publishing the theory of "natural selection" with Charles Darwin, from 1848 to 1852, he and fellow British naturalist Henry Walter Bates traveled to the Amazon basin in South America to collect specimens. However, they were shipwrecked on their return journey, losing most of their collection. In March 1854, he journeyed to the Malay Archipelago, where he spent eight years traveling the islands and collecting over 120,000 biological specimens. This collection provided a wealth of research material for his development of the theory of natural selection and a fundamental theory of the region's zoogeography: the Malay Peninsula can be divided into two zones: the Indo-Malay Zone in the east and the Australasian-Malay Zone in the west. This theory is still accepted by the scientific community today, and in his honor, the boundary dividing these two zones is known as the "Wallace Line."

He wrote many books, including Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro (1853), Malay Archipelago (1869), Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection (1870), The Geographical Distribution of Animals (1876), and Man's Place in the Universe (1903).

Jin Hengbiao

Ecologist. He holds a PhD in Earth Sciences from Canada. He is an adjunct associate professor at the Forestry Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, and the Institute of Forestry, National Taiwan University. He also serves as Chair of the East Asia and Pacific Regional Committee of the International Network for Long-Term Ecological Research. He specializes in Taiwan's forest ecosystems. His publications include academic papers and five books, including "Taiwan's Green Fuse" and "Let the Earth Live." He has also translated over ten books, including "The Man Who Planted Trees," "The Faith of Seeds," and "Colorful Life."

Wang Yizhen

Bachelor of Forestry from National Chung Hsing University; Master's and PhD in Forest Products Industry from the University of British Columbia, Canada. A forestry researcher, he conducts research on papermaking and water use in the paper industry and serves as an English editor. He enjoys natural sciences, classical music, and translation.

【Table of Contents of Volume 1】
Editor's Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Geographical Overview Part 1 India-Malay Archipelago Chapter 2 Singapore Chapter 3 Malacca and the Golden Mountain Chapter 4 Borneo Chapter 5 Inland Borneo Chapter 6 The Dayaks of Borneo Chapter 7 Java Chapter 8 Sumatra Chapter 9 Natural History of the Indo-Malay Archipelago Part 2 Timor Islands Chapter 10 Bali and Lombok Chapter 11 Customs and Etiquette of the Inhabitants of Lombok Chapter 12 Methods of Population Statistics in Lombok Chapter 13 Timor Island Chapter 14 Natural History of the Timor Islands Part 3 Celebes Islands Chapter 15 Chapter 5: Celebes Island Chapter 16: Second Visit to Celebes Island Chapter 17: Third Visit to Celebes Island Part 4: Moluccas Chapter 19: Banda Island Chapter 20: Amboyna Island Chapter 21: Moluccas: Cinnadee Island Chapter 22: Gilolo Island Chapter 23: From Cinnadee Island to the Kaew and Bajang Islands Chapter 24: Bajang Island Chapter 25: Zealand, Golan and Matabelo Islands Chapter 26: Buru Island Chapter 27: Natural History of the Moluccas Part 5: Papua Islands Chapter 28: From Makassar to the Aru Islands

【Table of Contents of Volume 2】
Chapter 29: The Kei Islands Chapter 30: The Aru Islands: Dobo Chapter 31: The Aru Islands: The Interior Chapter 32: The Aru Islands: A Second Visit to Dobo Chapter 33: Geography and Natural History of the Aru Islands Chapter 34: New Guinea: Doré Chapter 35: From Zealand to Vegu Chapter 36: Vegu Chapter 37: From Vegu to Chinnati Chapter 38: Birds of Paradise Chapter 39: Natural History of the Papuan Islands Chapter 40: Anthropology of the Malay Archipelago Appendix 1: On the Skulls and Languages ​​of the Malay Archipelago Appendix 2: List of Included Words Appendix 3: A Brief Biography of Alfred Russell Wallace