This early work by Alfred Russel Wallace was originally published in
1907 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory
biography. 'Is Mars Habitable?' is an essay on the possibilities of
organic life surviving on the red planet. Alfred Russel Wallace was born
on 8th January 1823 in the village of Llanbadoc, in Monmouthshire,
Wales. Wallace was inspired by the travelling naturalists of the day and
decided to begin his exploration career collecting specimens in the
Amazon rainforest. He explored the Rio Negra for four years, making
notes on the peoples and languages he encountered as well as the
geography, flora, and fauna. While travelling, Wallace refined his
thoughts about evolution and in 1858 he outlined his theory of natural
selection in an article he sent to Charles Darwin. Wallace made a huge
contribution to the natural sciences and he will continue to be
remembered as one of the key figures in the development of evolutionary
theory.