Mischievous Creatures: The Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science

"Mischievous Creatures" delves into the untold story of two remarkable women who carved a path for scientific inquiry in a burgeoning America. Historian Catherine McNeur masterfully resurrects the lives and pioneering work of sisters Margaretta Hare Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris—scientists who defied the constraints of their time to shape the very fabric of early American science. In the heart of antebellum America, Margaretta, an accomplished entomologist, earned acclaim from peers and the public alike for her groundbreaking research on the enigmatic seventeen-year cicadas, alongside a menagerie of other insects deemed troublesome by a nation on the cusp of agricultural revolution. Meanwhile, her sister Elizabeth, with the eye of a botanist and the hands of an artist, became an indispensable illustrator and provider of botanical specimens to the country's foremost scientific minds. Their collective efforts not only contributed to the burgeoning scientific community but also propelled the professionalization of science across the nation. Yet, as science advanced, it paradoxically ensnared women within underpaid and undervalued roles, effectively muting the Morris sisters' legacy for generations. In the pages of "Mischievous Creatures," McNeur not only pays homage to these early women of science but reclaims their rightful place in the annals of American history. It is a poignant and inspiring tale that places Margaretta and Elizabeth Morris as central figures in the narrative of American scientific development—a narrative that has, for too long, overlooked the vital contributions of women.

$32.99*

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