Publisher's Synopsis
C.S. Rafinesque (1783-1840), a Franco-American naturalist, published in Philadelphia a short autobiography ``A Life of Travels'' (1836) upon which most subsequent scholarship about him has been based. Although it was known that he translated his book from his 1833 version written in French, only now have his original words become available. Because he was his own translator, and because three years elapsed between the French and English versions, both versions are needed to understand Rafinesque's life, otherwise scantily documented. A contributor to most of the life sciences of his time - and to the earth sciences as well - Rafinesque continues to excite controversy today. Much of the scholarship about him, amounting to more than 600 books and articles, addresses the question of priority of discoveries he claimed for himself. Especially in Botany, where he is credited with having proposed about 6,700 binomials (and about 2,700 new generic names) - only a few of which are accepted today - his writing continues to evoke problems.
