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Henry Chandler Cowles: Pioneer Ecologist. Victor M. Cassidy. 354 pp. Sigel Press, Medina, Ohio. USD $18.50. ISBN: 978-1-934087-20-6. Paperback.
Henry Chandler Cowles is widely regarded as one of the pioneers in the development of the field of plant ecology in North America primarily because of his papers on succession on coastal Lake Michigan sand dunes. Cassidy is to be commended for his efforts to write the first detailed biography of Henry Chandler Cowles. The biography section of the book covers just less than 100 pages since most of what is known of Cowles has to be gleaned from limited peripheral sources. This is especially true since Cowles' wife, thinking no one would be interested in his notes or correspondence, burned them shortly after his death. The only remaining information available was his diaries and a small assortment of papers. Much of the information has been pieced together by going through the correspondence of those at University of Chicago in the early 1900's and by accessing letters written by Cowles to others.
The biography section of the book offers valuable insight into the early childhood of Cowles and his fondness for botany. His formative years as a graduate student under the...