"This serious analysis is important to anyone concerned with problems of the current state of the study of evolution, the history of ideas, or the background of Soviet thought."--Bioscience

"Todes has provided an excellent historical account of the 19th century evolutionary tradition among Russian naturalists. This book should be of interest to evolutionary biologists in general, and will be invaluable to scholars in the history and philosophy of evolutionary biology. The writing style is clear and the book is well edited."--Ohio Journal of Science

"Excellent and fascinating."--Taxon

"Clearly written, persuasively argued, and based on a broad body of primary source material. It is an important contribution to Russian intellectual history and to the history of Russian science. Those who wish to understand the hostility toward the market in twentieth-century Russia would do well to ponder its message."--Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"A scholarly account."--Evolutionary Theory and Review

"A fine precise analysis" --The Russian Review

"The reader is treated to a bonanza of information....Unusually rich in significant details on the changes and vibrations of personal views on Darwin's legacy....The chapter on Mechnikov is the best and most impressive essay in the book....An outstanding contribution to the challenging and exhilirating world of Darwin studies. It is a lucidly written, precisely structured, and richly documented addition to the historical study of the social dynamics of Russian science and rationalist tradition."--American Historical Review