Several outstanding features of this book will make it useful
for specialists and nonspecialists alike. One is the attempt to
show how classical genetics was involved with political issues
in the twentieth century, using three examples: eugenics
(18831945), the Lysenko controversy in the Soviet Union
(19301960), and the controversy over the genetic effects of
radiation (19461970). Another noteworthy feature is the use of
chronological tables for the whole field (at the beginning of
the book), as well as for specific subtopics, such as
contributions to the chromosome theory of sex determination, or
geneticists' educational background. A third valuable feature is
the author's liberal use of highquality illustrations, including
photographs of many geneticists seldom pictured before, original
figures from published papers, and the title pages of important
papers and books. The publishers, Cold Spring Harbor Press, have
produced an attractive and useful book. This book is a must for
biology teachers in both high s