The
work of Nickolay Ivanovich Vavilov has formed the basis of much of the
study of plant genetic resources that is carried out. In recognition of
his contribution to plant science, and to commemorate the centenary of
his birth, a collection of all of Vavgilov's works on the origin and
geography of cultivated plant species was published in Russian in 1987.
This English translation sees the publication of these seminal papers in
their original form, but not original language, for the first time. The
structure of the book, with papers arranged in chronological order from
1920 to 1940, provides a unique opportunity to retrace both the
development Vavilov's theories on cultivated plants and his gradual
creation of a definite terminology. the book will be of great interest
to all those concerned with the development of cultivated plant species,
not only in terms of the history of this discipline and its status, but
also its future direction.
