Sir William Jardine (1800 - 1874)

Jardine was a Scottish naturalist best known for the series The Naturalist’s Library.

Jardine was one of the founders of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, and contributed to the founding of the Ray Society. Ornithology was his primary interest but he also studied ichthyology, botany and geology. His private natural history museum and library are said to have been the finest in Britain. One of Jardine’s greatest contributions was making natural history available to all levels of Victorian society by making the The Naturalist’s Library (1833-1843) affordable as possible.