Primer of Botanical Latin with Vocabulary

Emma Short worked for five years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK, on the Index Kewensis database, before co-editing the Authors of Plant Names database with R. K. Brummitt. She has regularly checked Latin for Australian Systematic Botany and has recently taught courses in Botanical Latin. Alex George is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Perth. He was a botanist with the Western Australian Herbarium for 21 years, then Editor of the Flora of Australia for 12 years. He studied Latin to Tertiary level and has used it in describing some 400 new taxa, translating for others and editing.

• Dedication; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Grammar: 1. The noun; 2. The adjective and the participle; 3. The adverb; 4. The preposition; 5. The conjunction; 6. The pronoun; 7. The verb; 8. Numerals, measurements; 9. Prefixes and suffixes; 10. Miscellany; Part II. Exercises in Translation: 11. Exercises; 12. Answers to the exercises; Part III. Translating: 13. Translating into Latin; 14. Translating from Latin into English; Part IV. Vocabulary: References; Further reading; Index.

'The classical work Botanical Latin by W. T. Stearn has been a standard reference work for nearly 50 years, but it is not a starting point for those without prior knowledge of Latin. The new book by Emma Short and Alex George is derived from classes given separately by both authors, and the informal style is reflected in the very readable text. As one reads it, one can almost hear the careful explanations being given to the classes. The past experience of the authors - one in working on major taxonomic databases at Kew and the other as a leading figure in Australian botany including being editor of the Flora of Australia - ensures a very high pedigree for the book. It will stand alongside Stearn's work as an essential tool for many botanists for years to come.' R. K. Brummitt, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew