Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order: Twentieth-Century American Nature Writer

V I B U R N U M P A U C 1 F L O R U M Kin g d o m, Ph y l u m, C l a s s , Or d e r : Tw e n t ie t h -C e n t u r y A me r ic a n Na t u r e Wr it e r A n n R o n a l d Is it p o ssib le t o c la ssify a u t h o r s t h e w a y w e c la ssify b u t t e r flie s? P in t h e m t o a v e lv e t c lo t h , p e r h a p s, t h e n la b e l t h e m in L a t in ? O ffe r a h ie r a r c h y o f h a g io g r a p h e r s? A t a x o n o m y o f t it le s? A n o m e n c la t u r e o f n a t u r a list s? I n T h is I n c o m p e r ab le L a n d e , T h o m a s J. L y o n su g g e st s a q u a si t a x o n o m y fo r n a t u r e w r it e r s, b u t h is se v e n c a t e g o r ie s p e r t a in m o r e t o w r it t e n c o n t e n t t h a n t o c h a r a c t e r ist ic s o f in d iv id u a l w r it e r s: fie ld gu id e s a n d p r o fe ssio n a l p a p e r s, n a t u r a l h ist o r y e ssa y s, r a m b le s, In k d r aw in g b y F r e d e r ic k A . W a lp o le ( 1 8 6 1 - 1 9 0 4 ). T h e th ree botan ical im ages in th is essay are courtesy o f H u n t In stitute for Botan ical Docum en tation , Carn egie M ellon Un iversity, Pittsburgh , Pa., on in defin ite loan from th e Sm ith son ian Institution . A n n R o n a l d 3 8 5 so lit u d e a n d b a c k c o u n t r y liv in g , t r a v e l a n d a d v e n t u r e , fa r m life , a n d m a n ’s r o le in n a t u r e ( 3 - 7 ) . I f I u n d e r st a n d t h e c la ssic a l sy st e m o f t a x o n o m y c o r r e c t ly , su c h gr o u p s a n d su b g r o u p s sh o u ld c a t e g o r iz e p la n t s a n d a n im a ls t h e m se lv e s, n o t t h e ir p r o d u c t s. S o a r e a l t a x o n o m y o f n a t u r a list s sh o u ld fo c...