Profiles of Rafinesque

"Here are twenty essays, forty-six illustrations, and a summation of 160 years of Rafinesque scholarship, which together reveal a multifaceted individual. Boewe dispels certain myths about Rafinesque's life and work, but does not fail to include the variety of viewpoints that concern his subject. The issue of Rafinesque's mental state, the circumstances of his birth and death, and the validity of his scientific work - on these topics Boewe and the other contributors provide a well-rounded picture of an intriguing nineteenth-century American naturalist."--BOOK JACKET.