Sylva sylvarum vs The natural history of Selborne: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Sciences naturelles, Natural history, Early works to 1800, Science

Sylva sylvarum Francis Bacon · 1627 ★★★★☆ 3.8 227 pages · ≈ 4 h 12 m · Demanding

This landmark work by English philosopher, scientist and author Francis Bacon examines the science of natural history as it existed in the 1670s. This book was created from a scan of the original artifact, and as such…

Pre-Linnean works Longevity Experiments Ouvrages avant 1800

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Cover of The natural history of Selborne

The natural history of Selborne Gilbert White · 1789 ★★★★☆ 4.0 475 pages · ≈ 8 h 48 m · Demanding

The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, or just The Natural History of Selborne is a book by English naturalist and ornithologist Gilbert White. It was first published in 1789 by his brother Benjamin. It has…

Naturalists Antiquities Correspondence Histoire

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The natural history of Selborne highest: The natural history of Selborne 4.0 · Sylva sylvarum 3.8.
Sylva sylvarum is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 8 for The natural history of Selborne.
The natural history of Selborne has the widest readership — 601 ratings behind its score.

Sylva sylvarum: Check price →The natural history of Selborne: Check price →

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Sylva sylvarum ≈ 4h vs 8h for The natural history of Selborne

Scores by source

	Sylva sylvarum	The natural history of Selborne
Goodreads	3.6 (8)	4.0 (601)
Hardcover	—	4.0 (2)
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Reception

	Sylva sylvarum	The natural history of Selborne
Ratings	8	601
Editions	33	75
Citations	—	55
Want to read	55	2050
Reading it now	5	—
Written reviews	1	94
Pages	227	475
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Sylva sylvarum or The natural history of Selborne?

The natural history of Selborne has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The natural history of Selborne 4.0/5, Sylva sylvarum 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Sylva sylvarum or The natural history of Selborne?

Sylva sylvarum is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Sylva sylvarum (227 pages, ≈ 4 h 12 m); The natural history of Selborne (475 pages, ≈ 8 h 48 m).

Which is harder to read: Sylva sylvarum or The natural history of Selborne?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Sylva sylvarum: Demanding; The natural history of Selborne: Demanding.