Pioneer Naturalists: The Discovery and Naming of North American Plants and Animals

by Howard E. Evans

Book Overview

Looks at the early study of North American wildlife, describes various species, and discusses the first naturalists to identify them.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805023399
• ISBN13: 9780805023398
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 303 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Well researched, highly entertaining, accessible.

This highly readable historical narrative provides interesting and entertaining nuggets of information about the brilliant eccentrics who named the birds, mammals and plants of North America. It's a great prep for the birder and botanist seeking context for why, when and how North American flora and fauna got their names. This tidy little volume needs to be on the bookshelf of every vacation hideway whose charm is mostly linked to natural beauty nearby. Ever wonder who Baird, Brewer, Bewick, LeConte, Douglas, or Rafinesque were? It's all here. Thomas Jefferson, DeWitt Clinton, Lewis and Clark, too. It's a fascinating and highly enjoyable read.