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

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.