Asa Gray: American Botanist, Friend of Darwin

by A. Hunter Dupree

The leading American botanist of the nineteenth century, Asa Gray helped organize the main generalizations of the science of plant geography. The manual of botany that carries his name is still in use today. Friend and confidant of Charles Darwin, Gray became the most persistent and effective American protagonist of Darwin's views. Yet at the same time, he believed that religion and Darwin's theory of natural selection could coexist. A. Hunter Dupree's authoritative biography offers the first full-length interpretation of one of America's most important scientists.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biography

536 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

A pioneer in field of the history of science and technology in the United States, Anderson Hunter Dupree earned his B.A. from Oberlin College in 1942, and his M.A. (1947) and Ph.D. (1952) from Harvard University. Dupree taught at Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) from 1950 until 1952, after which he served two terms as a research fellow at the Gray Herbarium at Harvard University. Dupree taught at the University of California Berkeley from 1958 until 1968, and at Brown University from 1968 until 1981, when he retired as the George L. Littlefield Professor of History.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far so good, I have been looking for a good biography of Gray -perhaps the premiere AMerican Botanist of the 19th century & implacable foe of Agassiz- and this might just be it. Nicely written, some good detail & something to look forward to in the evenings

update. So, I decided I loved it. A really nice "American window" into Darwinian trials & tribulatiosn with enough gossip about Boston Brahmins in the 19th Century to keep one going through the dull bits. Definitely a must have for Darwinians!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe I will finish this book when I am gray and old, and I look like the cover, but for now I don’t think I’ll get through it

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

kind of boring.