The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest Book

A straightforward, thorough biography of early 19th century naturalist David Douglas, who explored the natural history of the Pacific Northwest from around 1825-1835. Nisbet has made good use of the relatively few source materials available (most of Douglas's journal from his second trip was lost), and fills in the narrative with contemporary sources, including letters and articles written by Douglas's colleagues. The small number of Douglas's own writings and his early death (he did not have the chance to develop or publish a comprehensive view of nature) have relegated him to a somewhat obscure place compared to such contemporaries as Humboldt, Darwin, and Wallace, but he was a pioneer in classifying many species previously unknown to Western science. He may be best known now for the some of the plants named for him (look for plants with the species name douglasii), including the Douglas fir.