SHiPS Resource Center || ships.umn.edu   BOOK BRIEF

reviewed 3/95 Gregor Mendel's Experiments on Plant Hybrids: A Guided Study. Corcos and Monaghan. Rutgers Univ. Press (1993). ISBN 0-8135-1921-7 pb. 220 pp. $15.

This book is the first of a series called "Masterworks of Discovery: Guided Studies of Great Texts in Science," Harvey M. Flaumenhaft, editor. The series sounds like it is perfect for teachers interested in incorporating the history of science in their classrooms, especially those who are timid or unsure how to begin. The Mendel book begins with a short biographical sketch, but consists primarily of the entire translated text of Mendel's original paper, "Experiments on Plant Hybrids," with interpretations and comments interspersed throughout. There are also five appendices, including one which convincingly refutes R.A. Fisher's 1936 paper which claimed Mendel's results were "too good" and must have been falsified in some way. I think teachers who are not thoroughly familiar with Mendel's actual words and experiments will find this text very useful.

--Robert Dennison

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