Robert Dick Popular Books

Robert Dick Biography & Facts

Robert Dick (January 1811 – 24 December 1866), was a Scottish geologist and botanist. Life He was born at Tullibody, in Clackmannanshire. His father was an officer of excise in nearby Alloa.At the age of thirteen, after receiving a good elementary education at the parish school, Dick was apprenticed to a baker, and served for three years. In these early days he became interested in wildflowers—he made a collection of plants and gradually acquired some knowledge of their names from an old encyclopedia. When his time was up he left Tullibody and gained employment as a journeyman baker at Leith, Glasgow and Greenock. Meanwhile, his father, who in 1826 had been removed to Thurso, as supervisor of excise, advised his son to set up a baker's shop in that town. Dick went there in 1830, started a business as a baker, and worked laboriously until his death. Throughout this period he zealously devoted himself to studying and collecting the plants, mollusca and insects of a wide area of Caithness. Soon after he settled in Thurso his attention was directed to the rocks and fossils. In 1835 he first found remains of fossil fishes; but it was not until some years later that his interests became greatly stirred. Then he obtained a copy of Hugh Miller's Old Red Sandstone (published in 1841), and he began systematically collecting with hammer and chisel the fossils from the Caithness flags. In 1845 he found remains of Holoptychius and forwarded specimens to Miller, and he continued to send the best of his fossil fish to that geologist, and to other geologists after the death of Miller. In this way he largely contributed to the progress of geological knowledge, although he himself published nothing and was never averse from publicity. His herbarium, which consisted of about 200 folios of mosses, ferns and flowering plants "almost unique in its completeness," is now stored, with many of his fossils, in the museum at Thurso. Dick had a hard struggle for existence, especially through competition during his late years, when he was reduced almost to beggary: but of this few, if any, of his friends were aware until it was too late. A monument erected in the new cemetery at Thurso testifies to the respect which his life-work created, when the merits of this enthusiastic naturalist came to be appreciated.One of his discoveries, the 385 million-year-old placoderm Microbrachius dicki was confirmed as the earliest known example of copulation between two sexes. References This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dick, Robert". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. "Life of 'remarkable' baker Robert Dick marked". BBC News Scotland. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.. Discover the Robert Dick popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Robert Dick books.

Best Seller Robert Dick Books of 2024

  • Mate in Two Moves synopsis, comments

    Mate in Two Moves

    Winston Marks

    Murt's Virus was catastrophically lethal, but it killed in a way no disease had ever thought of it loved its victims to death! Winston Marks delivers a fascinating science fic...

  • Exemplary Stories synopsis, comments

    Exemplary Stories

    Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

    Composed throughout Cervantes's writing life and mentioned in Don Quixote, his Exemplary Stories are among the first and finest Spanish short stories: ranging from traditional tale...

  • Wicked Words synopsis, comments

    Wicked Words

    Various Artists

    Wicked Words a collection of saucy and compelling short storiesOutrageously sexy and deliciously decadent, Wicked Words short stories are the best in contemporary sexy fiction. T...

  • The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy synopsis, comments

    The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy

    John Brehm

    Over 125 poetic companions, from Basho to Billy Collins, Saigyo to Shakespeare.The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy received the Spirituality & Practice Book A...

  • After The Deafening synopsis, comments

    After The Deafening

    Gerard Woodward

    With the publication of his first book, HOUSEHOLDER, Gerard Woodward emerged as one of the most talented and unusual new poets of the 1990s. In his forthcoming collection AFTER THE...

  • The Lady in the Looking Glass synopsis, comments

    The Lady in the Looking Glass

    Virginia Woolf

    'People should not leave lookingglasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime.''If she concealed so much...

  • The Door Into Infinity synopsis, comments

    The Door Into Infinity

    Edmond Hamilton

    An amazing weird mystery story, packed with thrills, danger and startling events. Edmond Hamilton establishes himself as a master of the weirdly occult and fantastic with The Door ...

  • The Synapse Sequence synopsis, comments

    The Synapse Sequence

    Daniel Godfrey

    The new thrilling scifi novel from the author of New Pompeii and Empire of TimeIn a future London, humans are watched over by AIs and served by bots. But now that justice and jobs ...

  • Phineas Redux synopsis, comments

    Phineas Redux

    Anthony Trollope

    In the fourth of the 'Palliser' stories, Trollope follows Phineas Finn's return to the dangerous world of Westminster politics. When his political rival is murdered, Phineas is th...

  • Metamorphosis and Other Stories synopsis, comments

    Metamorphosis and Other Stories

    Franz Kafka & Michael Hofmann

    This collection of new translations brings together the small proportion of Kafka's works that he himself thought worthy of publication. It includes Metamorphosis, his most famou...

  • JFK synopsis, comments

    JFK

    Stephen Kennedy Smith & Douglas Brinkley

    Published in commemoration of the centennial of President John F. Kennedy’s birth, here is the definitive compendium of JFK’s most important and brilliant speeches, accompanied by ...

  • The Master of Time synopsis, comments

    The Master of Time

    David Wingrove

    Part Three of The Roads to MoscowThe war for time is reaching its endAs the German and Russian forces seek to destroy a third, seemingly unstoppable faction, Otto Behr reluctantly ...

  • The Ocean of Time synopsis, comments

    The Ocean of Time

    David Wingrove

    Part Two of The Roads to MoscowThe War For Time Continues.From the frozen tundra of 13th Century Russia to the battle of Paltava in 1709 and beyond, Otto Behr has waged an unquesti...

  • The Black Widow synopsis, comments

    The Black Widow

    Lisette Ashton

    Spurned by her husband, and cheated of her inheritance, the Black Widow feels justified in seeking revenge. Determined to lay claim to the Elysian Fields, a health farm with a uniq...

  • The Saga of the Volsungs synopsis, comments

    The Saga of the Volsungs

    Jesse Byock

    The epic Viking Age stories that inspired J. R. R. Tolkien and Wagner's Ring cycleWritten in thirteenthcentury Iceland but based on ancient Norse poetry cycles, The Saga of the Vol...

  • The Dearest And The Best synopsis, comments

    The Dearest And The Best

    Leslie Thomas

    In the spring of 1940, the spectre of war turned into grim reality. And on the English home front, men, women and children found themselves swept into a maelstrom of fear and uncer...

  • The Good Soldier synopsis, comments

    The Good Soldier

    Ford Madox Ford

    The Dowells, a wealthy American couple, have been close friends with the Ashburnhams for years. Edward Ashburnham, a firstrate soldier, seems to be the perfect English gentleman, a...

  • Melmoth the Wanderer synopsis, comments

    Melmoth the Wanderer

    Charles Maturin & Victor Sage

    Created by an Irish clergyman, Melmoth is one of the most fiendish characters in literature. In a satanic bargain, Melmoth exchanges his soul for immortality. The story of his tort...

  • Collateral Damage synopsis, comments

    Collateral Damage

    Mark Shaw

    If there had been no coverup of Robert Kennedy’s complicity in the murder of Marilyn Monroe in 1962 and he had been prosecuted based on compelling evidence at the time, the assassi...

  • Eine Leiche zum Advent synopsis, comments

    Eine Leiche zum Advent

    Otto Penzler, Barbara Röhl, Axel Franken, Winfried Czech, Thomas Schichtel, Dietmar Schmidt, Rainer Schumacher, Daniela Jarzynka, Stefanie Heinen, Stefan Bauer & Dr. Helmut Pesch

    Das größte WeihnachtskrimiBuch aller Zeiten als hochwertiges Geschenk für alle Krimifans mit teils raren GeschichtenVerdächtige Weihnachtsmänner, skrupellose Nikoläuse, tödliche We...

  • Playing the Field synopsis, comments

    Playing the Field

    Jim Kaplan

    Casual fans may concentrate on the duel between batter and pitcher, but for those who know the game of baseball, nothing is more fascinating, or more important, than the art of def...

  • Killing Kennedy synopsis, comments

    Killing Kennedy

    Jack Roth & Cyril Wecht

    Startling new insights into the JFK assassination In Killing Kennedy: Exposing the Plot, the CoverUp, and the Consequences, author Jack Roth interviews researchers, scholars, eyewi...

  • Rob Roy synopsis, comments

    Rob Roy

    Walter Scott

    When young Francis Osbaldistone discovers that his vicious and scheming cousin Rashleigh has designs both on his father's business and his beloved Diana Vernon, he turns in despera...

  • A Kill in the Morning synopsis, comments

    A Kill in the Morning

    Graeme Shimmin

    ‘I don’t like killing, but I’m good at it. Murder isn’t so bad from a distance, just shapes popping up in my scope. Closeup work though – a garrotte around a target’s neck or a kni...

  • The Gods Look Down synopsis, comments

    The Gods Look Down

    Trevor Hoyle

    When an ancient religious text reveals that nuclear physics capable of creating a new species of man existed in Biblical times, the mystified scientists of Earth IVn realise that s...

  • The Complete Dangerous Davies synopsis, comments

    The Complete Dangerous Davies

    Leslie Thomas

    As plainclothes men go, Dangerous Davies looks like a nonstarter. The small fry of petty larceny and minor disturbances in the backwaters of northwest London are his daily round. H...

  • After All synopsis, comments

    After All

    Mary Tyler Moore

    New York Times Bestseller Audiences have long adored Mary Tyler Moore for her television persona as the quintessential girlnextdoor, as well as for her strong performances on scree...

  • Against Nature synopsis, comments

    Against Nature

    Joris-Karl Huysmans

    The hero of this curious novel is des Esseintes, a neurasthenic aristocrat who has turned his back on the vulgarity of modern life and retreated to an isolated country villa. Here,...

  • The Impossibles synopsis, comments

    The Impossibles

    Randall Garrett

    The sidewalk was as soft as a good bed. Malone lay curled on it, thinking about nothing at all. He was drifting off into a wonderful dream, and he didn't want to interrupt it. ...

  • Highways in Hiding synopsis, comments

    Highways in Hiding

    George Smith

    I knew I couldn't do it. I hated them all. I wanted the whole Highways in Hiding rolled up like an old discarded carpet, with every Mekstrom on Earth rolled up in it. But I cou...

  • Nur einmal werden wir noch wach synopsis, comments

    Nur einmal werden wir noch wach

    Otto Penzler, Barbara Röhl, Axel Franken, Winfried Czech, Thomas Schichtel, Dietmar Schmidt, Rainer Schumacher, Daniela Jarzynka, Stefanie Heinen, Stefan Bauer & Dr. Helmut Pesch

    Verdächtige Weihnachtsmänner, skrupellose Nikoläuse, tödliche Weihnachtsbraten und Leichen unter Mistelzweigen vergessen Sie den Einkaufsstress, achten Sie nicht auf das ungewohnt...

  • The Greatest Stories of Robert Louis Stevenson synopsis, comments

    The Greatest Stories of Robert Louis Stevenson

    Robert Louis Stevenson & Herman Graf

    The Best Short Works of One of English Literature’s Most Masterful Storytellers Collected in a Single Volume Known mostly for his seminal fulllength works, such as the famous class...

  • Under Western Eyes synopsis, comments

    Under Western Eyes

    Joseph Conrad

    'It was I who removed de P this morning.' With these chilling words Victor Haldin shatters the solitary, industrious existence of Razumov, his fellow student at St Petersburg Unive...

  • Resurrection synopsis, comments

    Resurrection

    Leo Tolstoy

    Serving on a jury at the trial of a prostitute arrested for murder, Prince Nekhlyudov is horrified to discover that the accused is a woman he had once loved, seduced and then aband...

  • Selected Poems and Letters synopsis, comments

    Selected Poems and Letters

    Arthur Rimbaud, Jeremy Harding & John Sturrock

    A phenomenonally precicious schoolboy, Rimbaud was still a teenager when he became notorious as Europe's most shocking and exhilarating poet. During his brief 5year reign as the e...

  • Adaptation synopsis, comments

    Adaptation

    Mack Reynolds

    Hardly had man solved his basic problems on the planet of his origin than he began to fumble into space. Barely a century had elapsed in the exploration of the Solar System than he...

  • Why the Right Went Wrong synopsis, comments

    Why the Right Went Wrong

    E.J. Dionne

    From the author of Why Americans Hate Politics, the New York Times bestselling and “notably fairminded” (The New York Times Book Review), story of the GOP’s fracturingfrom the 1964...

  • Stand Up Fight Back synopsis, comments

    Stand Up Fight Back

    E.J. Dionne

    One of our most visible, trenchant, and witty political commentators, the author of the bestselling Why Americans Hate Politics, offers a tough critique of President George W. Bush...

  • Rupert of Hentzau synopsis, comments

    Rupert of Hentzau

    Anthony Hope

    Rudolf Rassendyll, having heroically saved the kingdom of Ruritania and nobly given up the hand of the beautiful Princess Flavia, has returned to his normal life in England. But wh...

  • Cutthroats synopsis, comments

    Cutthroats

    Robert Dick

    Soon after we landed it became apparent that there was more than enough artillery here, that the enemy were excellent shots, and that their ammo supply seemed to be endless. With t...

  • The Innocence of Father Brown synopsis, comments

    The Innocence of Father Brown

    G. K. Chesterton

    This is the first volume of Chesterton's brilliant, ingenious Father Brown stories. Ahead of a new series of the popular BBC adaptation starring Mark Williams, all five of the orig...

  • The Onslaught from Rigel synopsis, comments

    The Onslaught from Rigel

    Fletcher Pratt

    A jagged beam of flame, intenser than the hottest furnace leaped through the air, struck the green globe and reached the earth in a thousand tiny rivulets of light. A fantastic fut...

  • The Troublemakers synopsis, comments

    The Troublemakers

    George Smith

    What did Genetics and Hansen's Folly have in common? Why, everything ... Genetics was statistical and Hansen's Folly impossible! George Smith weaves a fantastic science fic...

  • The Empire of Time synopsis, comments

    The Empire of Time

    David Wingrove

    There is only the war.Otto Behr is a German agent, fighting his Russian counterparts across three millennia, manipulating history for moments in time that can change everything.Onl...

  • Inside Earth synopsis, comments

    Inside Earth

    Poul Anderson

    Obviously, no conqueror wants his subjects to revolt against his rule. Obviously? This one would go to any lengths to start a rebellion! Poul Anderson weaves a fascinating, pagetur...