To scientists working in environmental microbiologydand even
to high school biology teachers who routinely do a lab exercise
featuring a “Winogradsky column”dthe importance of this work is
well-known. But two major obstacles have delayed a serious
historical study of Vinogradskii until now. First, aside from specialists
in soil science or environmental microbiology, most biologists
are barely aware that there even exists a field known as soil
microbiology; their high school biology class is the only place
where they ever heard of Vinogradskii’s pioneering work. And if
they are aware, it’s usually only because of the most famous spinoff
of that field: antibiotics. Second, relatively few historians of
science have the Russian language skills needed. Not since the
microbiologist Selman Waksman sixty years ago, has one with
Russian language skills turned his attention to this important
formative chapter in the history of several disciplines. And this is
the first time a trained historian of science has done so. Ackert’s
great facility in Russian and in history of biology makes this book
doubly welcome. Furthermore, since both Waksman and biogeochemist
Vernadsky (of “biosphere” fame) came from the same
Russian and soil science context, this book also provides foundational
historical background for further work on either figure.