A Short History of Botany in the United States</Article
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would have extended the value of the classes (the chapter on plant ecology book to the layman, the high school to my environmental biology class, for ScienceFilmstrips biology student, and even the elemen- example) in order to give students a tary-school child. fine historical overview of the particu- R. E. Barthelemy lar discipline's development in this BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY University of Minnesota country. Meanwhile I read the book PHYSICS MICROBIOLOGY Minneapolis piecemeal myself for biohistorical ap- ATOMICENERGY preciation and background; it shouldn't at one sit- ATOMICCONCEPT be read from cover to cover HISTORYAND PHILOSOPHY ting! HOWTO STUDY Never before has such a fund of di- on American botani- GENERALSCIENCE A SHORT HISTORY OF BOTANY IN THE UNITED verse information in FIGURE DRAWING STATES, ed. by Joseph Ewan. 1969. cal endeavor been brought together LABORATORYSAFETY Hafner Publishing Co., N.Y. 174 pp. one handy volume. We might hope that American zoologists, undaunted by HEALTHAND SAFETY(Campers) Price not given. Engelmann of St. having been upstaged, can shortly man- SAFETYIN AN ATOMICATTACK In 1846 George Louis, after finally receiving some fi- age to compile a comparable volume SCHOOLBUS SAFETY nancial encouragement for the pursuit for their discipline. BICYCLESAFETY of botany in the American West, opti- Richard G. Beidleman Colorado College mistically wrote that he could "hope a Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article-pdf/32/3/178/339753/4442993.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 WATERCONSERVATION Springs little more from this country for sci- Colorado ence." Today, Engelmann would be de- CARL LINNAEUS, Alvin and Virginia Ask for free folder and information lighted and amazed by what his adopted by Silverstein. 1969. John Day Co., New about the SCIENCESTRIPS in country has indeed contributed to the York. 80 $3.49. science of botany, as portrayed in this pp. color for Elementary classes. have had a impact book prepared especially for the Elev- Few men greater Yet enth International Botanical Congress on early botany than Linnaeus. Made by Teachers for Teachers (Seattle, 1969). even to most biologists he is little Since 1931 Edited by Joseph Ewan, who as an more than a name marking an epoch in enthusiastic teacher could get anyone the history of biology. The authors of this small book strive to make Lin- * * * interested in the history of biology, A Short History of Botany in the United naeus live to young readers. His States is essentially a compilation of notable accomplishments are described, VISUAL SCIENCES essays by different authorities (from Chester Arnold to Conway Zirkle), af- Box 599-B SUFFERN, N. Y. fording an historical coverage of the landmark advances in plant geography and ecology, morphology and physiol- HUMAN ogy, taxonomy and genetics, medical books. Introductory chapters tell of botany, horticulture and plant pathol- collections, life histories, etc. It is a ogy, phycology, mycology, bryology, DEVELOPMENT really useful handbook for those near lichenology, and pteridology, and even the marine habitat close to shore, es- paleobotany. Introducing the essays is REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM MODELS pecially in New England. a comprehensive and literate word- Paul Klinge portrait by Ewan entitled "Early His- Indiana University tory," which considers people and prog- ress in botany from 1542 to the end of SPRING FLORA OF MINNESOTA, by Thomas the American frontier period. Of unique Morley. 1969. University of Minnesota interest is tabular material on epochs 44j Press. 283 pp. $7.75. in American botany, zoology, and ge- This identification manual is de- ology, the role of the Bartrams in nat- signed for use by botany students dur- ural history, and a list of plants intro- ing the Minnesota spring season (mid- duced from North America into Europe March through the first week in June). before 1600. A good, general "selected The author has made extensive use of readings" section at the book's end the university of Minnesota herbarium makes up somewhat for the frustrating to update the previous Minnesota keys. lack of references at the end of each es- Geographic occurrence by county and say. Of great value, in fact a publishing springtime identification characteristics "first," is a 25-page chronology of bo- PRE-NATAL DEVELOPMENT are given for 662 known native and tanical "happenings" (including good -designed with a measure of Art as well as Science naturalized plants plus 194 common old George Engelmann's) in the United for study in a sensitive area of human experience- cultivated ones that were not included States from 300 B.C. through 1968-a in Minnesota's previous guide to spring listing which emphasizes that despite flora. what botany textbooks tend to over- A book on localized taxonomy is look, there were early and significant seldom read for pleasure except by contributions to the science from the other taxonomists; for most people, it New World. ,,ols is a highly specific tool Although perhaps of greater direct to help solve El fo complex problems of identifying partic- classroom use to college than to secon- ular plants. This good book is no ex- dary-school biology teachers, this is a ception. book which belongs in every "patriotic" BUTLER AND DOERFLER, INC., The addition of 15 or 20 colored American biology teacher's library. I 32 EAST 10TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY 10003 plates, each containing 10 to 15 figures, assign pertinent chapters to various 178 THE AMERICANBIOLOGY TEACHER, MARCH, 1970 .