“Collectors in East Africa” by Bernard Verdcourt
Bernard Verdcourt1 wrote 31 articles on Collectors in East Africa for the Conchologists’ Newsletter over a period of 23 years (June 1979–September 2002.) The articles have now been incorporated into the website, starting at http://www.conchsoc.org/collectors_east_africa/collectors.php and can be accessed from our opening page and from the Resources and Site Map pages as well.
Each article deals with one eminent collector. Bernard gives the biographical details he has been able to discover, together with facts about the exploration of Africa and the adventures and hardships these early collectors had to overcome whilst collecting. They collected not only molluscs, but many also collected any other animal and plant material they considered interesting or thought might be new to science. In most cases, their collections were sent home for a specialist to describe and publish the results. A few collectors described and published their own collections when they returned home – there were not the facilities (nor the time) to do it in the field. Bernard’s articles include lists of the molluscs described from the material collected, references for the published papers, together with much of historical interest.
Alfred Eugene Craven
During the time I was preparing the articles for inclusion on the website, I noticed that in 1979 Bernard had been unable to discover when or where A. E. Craven was born. I made an internet search for “Alfred Eugene Craven” that produced a number of results, including one2 that revealed he was recorded in Burke's Peerage, along with some biographical details3. Alfred Craven was born on 21 September 1848, the son of Charles Craven and Harrietta Streatfeild (sic) and was christened in Brussels, Belgium, but I have been unable to establish whether he was born there. Alfred Craven was married twice and had two children by his first wife. He died on 6 January 1937 at age 88.
Another internet site4 revealed a bookplate in the name of Alfred Eugène Craven (above). Perhaps a reader with knowledge of heraldry may be able to supply details of Craven’s connection with the aristocracy from the image.
Indices to Journal of Conchology
I have been compiling the index for publication in each volume of the Journal since Volume 35 (1994-1996), but due to technical difficulties it is only from Volume 37 (2000-2003) that I have been able to produce a pdf file capable of being included on the website. The indices are available from the Site Map page, the Resources page, the left hand menus on the Journal of Conchology, the Mollusc World and the Publications pages, all of which may be reached from the Home page.
In Mollusc World 20 (July 2009) I outlined how an abstract of a paper published in the Journal of Conchology could be accessed from the online Index. At that time it was necessary to find the page number of the paper you wanted by using the Index, return to the list of abstracts and click on the title for that page, in order to arrive at the abstract you were seeking. Although using the Index in that way proved useful, it was rather time consuming, and it also confused some people.
I have now placed a link on the page number in the Index so that by clicking on it you are taken directly to the appropriate abstract. Links on the Index page numbers are coloured blue and are underlined. Please inform me of any broken links at webmaster@conchsoc.org. Page numbers that are not links are shown as normal black text - they do not have abstracts because they do not refer to full papers - they are present because the file is also used to produce the index for the printed version when the volume is complete. Indices with direct links to the appropriate abstract are now available on the website, covering the period 1988 to 2010 (Volumes 33 to 40). Abstracts were introduced in 1979 in Volume 30, and over time I hope to complete indices for the remaining Volumes 30, 31 and 32.
Until now, the website index has only been available upon completion of the volume - normally after three years. Having resigned as Treasurer, I now have a little more time available for the website, and, if possible, I intend to compile the website index soon after the parts are published. The index for parts 1, 2 and 3 of Volume 40 is now on the website complete with hypertext links to the abstracts.
I hope that these additions prove useful and will enhance your enjoyment of the website - it is there to be enjoyed, as well as to be a source of information.
References
1Jane Reynolds, In conversation with Bernard Verdcourt. Mollusc World Issue 4, March 2004: 16–17.
2http://thepeerage.com/p23101.htm#i231009
3Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 948.
4http://www.rare-books.com/bookplates.htm (dead link)