Ray Society


The Ray Society is a scientific text publication society that publishes works devoted principally to British flora and fauna. As of 2019, it had published 181 volumes. Its publications are predominantly academic works of interest to naturalists, zoologists, botanists and collectors.
The society was founded in 1844, largely on the initiative of George Johnston. It is named after the naturalist John Ray. It is based at the Natural History Museum, London, and is a registered charity under English law.

Publications

The Ray Society's publications are concerned with natural history, and have special but not exclusive reference to British flora and fauna. They include original monographs on particular groups and topics, facsimiles of historically important volumes and translations of existing works.
During Charles Darwin's lifetime, the Ray Society published not only Darwin's two volumes on living barnacles but also the work of many of the foremost British naturalists: Thomas Henry Huxley, William Crawford Williamson, John Blackwall, Albert Günther, James Scott Bowerbank, etc.
Recent publications have included:
*