Editing Alfred Russel Wallace (section)

=== Obscurity and rehabilitation ===
Wallace's fame faded quickly after his death. For a long time, he was treated as a relatively obscure figure in the history of science.{{sfn|Slotten|2004|p=6}} Reasons for this lack of attention may have included his modesty, his willingness to champion unpopular causes without regard for his own reputation, and the discomfort of much of the scientific community with some of his unconventional ideas.<ref name="Laserna">{{cite book |last=Laserna |first=David Blanco |date=2016 |title=La evolución, el fenómeno más complejo del universo |trans-title=Evolution, the most complex process of the universe |language=Spanish |publisher=RBA |isbn=978-84-473-8675-8 |page=11}}</ref> The reason that the theory of evolution is popularly credited to Darwin is likely the impact of Darwin's ''On the Origin of Species''.<ref name="Laserna"/>

Recently, Wallace has become better known, with the publication of at least five book-length biographies and two anthologies of his writings published since 2000.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rosen |first=Jonathan |title=Missing Link: Alfred Russel Wallace, Charles Darwin's neglected double |journal=New Yorker |date=4 February 2007 |pages=76–81 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/02/12/070212crat_atlarge_rosen |publisher=The New Yorker Feb 2007|pmid=17323543 |access-date=25 April 2007}}</ref> A web page dedicated to Wallace scholarship is maintained at [[Western Kentucky University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Alfred Russel Wallace Page |url=http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/index1.htm |publisher=hosted by Western Kentucky University |access-date=13 May 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070523065328/http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/index1.htm| archive-date= 23 May 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In a 2010 book, the environmentalist [[Tim Flannery]] argued that Wallace was "the first modern scientist to comprehend how essential cooperation is to our survival", and suggested that Wallace's understanding of natural selection and his later work on the atmosphere should be seen as a forerunner to modern ecological thinking.{{sfn|Flannery|2010|p=32}} A collection of his medals, including the Order of Merit, were sold at auction for £273,000 in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Hartland |title=Evolution guru's medals auctioned for £273,000 |publisher=Monmouthshire Beacon |page=9 |date=10 August 2022 }}</ref>