Moths, Myths, & Mosquitos: The Eccentric Life of Harrison G. Dyar, Jr

Description:

The first complete account of Harrison Dyar's life story. Dyar, one of the most influential biologists of the twentieth century, focused his entomological career on building natural classifications of various groups of insects. His revolutionary approach to taxonomy, which examined both larval and adult stages of insects, brought about major changes in the scientific community's understanding of natural relationships and insect systematics. He was also the father of what came to be known as Dyar's Law, a pragmatic method to standardize information in insect classification. Over the course of his illustrious career, Dyar named over 3,000 species, and established the List of North American Lepidoptera, an unrivaled catalog of moths and butterflies.

However, Dyar's scientific accomplishments are a mere component of this remarkable biography. Epstein offers an account of Dyar's complicated personal life, from his feuds with fellow entomologists to the scandalous revelation that he was married to two wives at the same time. Epstein also chronicles Dyar's exploration of the Baha'I faith, his extensive travels, and his innumerable works of unpublished fiction. Comprehensive and engaging, Moths, Myths, and Mosquitos will delight entomologists and historians alike, as well as anyone interested in exploring the zany life of one of America's virtually unknown scientific geniuses.

Condition

B/w photos