This is a translation of Vera Aleksandrova's classic book, first published in Russian, which characterizes the vegetation of this rather special botanical region. Much important botanical research concerned with Arctic ecology is carried out in the Soviet Union, but is seldom available in English. Dr Aleksandrova's book is based on her own extensive research in the northern areas of the Soviet Arctic. Dividing the high Arctic into areas based on the characteristics of their vegetation, the book presents a probing analysis of the ecology of such regions worldwide. After describing the general...

The work of Nickolay Ivanovich Vavilov has formed the basis of much of the study of plant genetic resources that is carried out. In recognition of his contribution to plant science, and to commemorate the centenary of his birth, a collection of all of Vavgilov's works on the origin and geography of cultivated plant species was published in Russian in 1987. This English translation sees the publication of these seminal papers in their original form, but not original language, for the first time. The structure of the book, with papers arranged in chronological order from 1920 to 1940, provides...