Bücher von John Elliott

Overshadowed by California's better-known and more iconic, scenic landmarks, the north state watershed of the Sacramento Valley offers a spectacular variety in its own claim to natural wonders. This corner of the Golden State teems with breathtaking waterfalls, rare wildflowers, ancient botanical zones, stark mountain ridges, steaming volcanic activity, gold rush history, and premium birdwatching. Included here are trails to explore the new Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Sierra Buttes region, the Sierra foothill wildlife areas, the Big Bend area near Red Bluff, the vast trail systems of Redding, the magnificent bird refuges across the valley floor, and more.

Although first to suggest the possibility of light frequencies beyond the visible spectrum, the natural philosopher John Elliott (1747-87) was better known at his death for his failed suicide in front of the woman he loved. Tried for attempting to shoot her, he was acquitted but died in prison awaiting trial on the lesser charge of assault. First published in 1780, this work was his most important. Contemporary science held that vibrations of the air were directly communicated to the optic and auditory nerves and passed on to the sensorium, while Elliot proposed, through experimentation upon himself, the existence of sensory receptors, each tuned to only a limited part of the spectrum of physical frequencies. This insight led him to postulate the existence of what we now know to be ultraviolet and infrared radiation, thus paving the way for further discoveries in human sensory perception.