Review by Choice Review
A German botanist and naturalist employed by the Russian Academy of Sciences during the reign of Catherine the Great, Gmelin (1745-74) was sent on two missions to Central Asia. This volume records his explorations of the area around the Caspian Sea and northern Persia (i.e., volume 3 and most of volume 4 in his four-volume Reise durch Russland, St. Petersburg: 1770-84). Gmelin recorded the flora, fauna, and topography of the area and also described the peoples that he encountered and the state of commerce between Russia and Persia. His botanical and zoological descriptions are detailed and give a good picture of the level of knowledge of his time. More interesting, for today's reader, are his ethnographic observations, his detailed descriptions of the cities and towns through which he passed, and his discussion of political events. Floor (an authority on Iran) worked hard to identify persons, places, plants, animals, and words (Persian, Turkic, and Armenian) obscured by Gmelin's eccentric orthography. A copy editor's attention to the text would have been helpful, as would better reproductions of the numerous murky illustrations. This is an important book for those interested in Russian, Central Asian, and Persian studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. W. L. Hanaway emeritus, University of Pennsylvania
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review