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Focusing on Simpson's scientific contributions, Laporte provides chapters on Simpson's earliest paleontological research through his distinguished Alexander Agassiz professorship at Harvard and his extensive fieldwork for the American Museum of Natural History, where he developed the core themes set forth in his most prestigious work,Tempo and Mode in Evolution. Simpson was arguably the first evolutionary paleontologist to combine descriptive taxonomy with the modern approaches of genetics and statistical analysis.
Preface1. Biographical Introduction2. Paleontology and the Expansion of Biology3. The Summer of 19244. Darwin's World5. Paleocene Mammals of Montana6. On Species7. Tempo and Mode in Evolution8. Mentor for Paleoanthropology9. Wrong for the Right Reasons10. The Mind's Eye11. The Awkward Embrace12. Concession to the Ineluctable
Leo F. Laporte is Professor Emeritus of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
An informative and engaging biography...The book shows how hugely influential and productive Simpson was. -- Michael Novacek Nature Simpson's position in intellectual history is secure and is made the more so by the welcome publication of Laporte's book. -- Niles Eldredge Science Through his very skillful interpretation... Laporte provides a marvelous story of one man's pursuit of the riddles of nature. -- William R. Brice, University of Pittsburgh American Paleontologist
