“The kudos tend to go to the first discoverers, such as Darwin,” Costa said, but Wallace was right there on the same intellectual path as Darwin, independently pursuing the question of species origins and discovering natural selection.

“Radical by Nature — The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace” dives into scholarly research, journals, notebooks and letters that bring Wallace’s fascinating history to life. Wallace co-discovered natural selection and founded the field of evolutionary biogeography through his expeditions in South America and southeast Asia, discovering thousands of species new to science and publishing dozens of papers, many considered landmark works today. He wrote more than 20 books, some now considered classics of biology.

The book also examines Wallace’s complicated relationship with Darwin and how, despite their differences, the two were friends and mutually supportive of each other’s work.

Costa’s book , which has already garnered starred reviews from Kirkus and Foreword Reviews, has just been published by Princeton University Press and is available from all major booksellers.