J. M. Burns, from Biograffiti.
Written for my seminar
on recapitulation.

Although the result is, I trust, tolerably ordered, this book arose in a haphazard way. Its genesis and execution were probably typical of most general treatises. We rarely separate the logical and psychological aspects of research and we tend to impute the order of a finished product to the process of its creation. After all, the abandoned outlines and unused note cards are in the wastebasket and the false starts are permanently erased from memory. It is for this reason that P. B. Medawar once termed the scientific paper a "fraud"; for it reflects so falsely the process of its generation and fosters the myth of rational procedure according to initial outlines rigidly (and brilliantly) conceived. I view this book as an organism. I have lived with it for six years. Perceptive comments from colleagues in casual conversation have provided almost all the crucial steps in its ontogeny. Those whom I acknowledge will probably not remember their contribution, but I want to record their inspiration. Likewise, I apologize for forgetting the sources of other insights; they did not arise sui generis. I am a very effective sponge (and a fair arranger of disparate information); I am not much of a creator.

Ernst Mayr, in a passing comment, suggested that I write this book. I only began it as a practice run to learn the style of lengthy exposition