Maria Eulàlia Gassó Miracle, <i>Coenraad Jacob Temminck and the Emergence of Systematics (1800–1850)</i> Leiden: Brill, 2021. Pp. 328. ISBN 978-90-04-41917-9. €129.00 (hardback).

Following the publication of Part One of Linnaeus's Systema Naturae in 1758, containing a mere 4,378 animal species, systematic debate was fuelled by the deluge of species that were discovered when European naturalists started to explore the globe through imperialist expansions.The naming and the systematic arranging of this multitude of insects, mammals and birds suffered from lack of consensus.The road to agreement would be (and still is) long, winding and wobbly.Surprisinglyor maybe not sothis is not reflected in the historiography of the period.Fortunately, we now have a substantial monograph exploring the emergence of systematics in the period between 1800 and 1850 through the life and career of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858), which enables us to form a coherent picture of this turbulent period.Bird lovers might know Temminck from his stint -Temminck's stint, that is, the tiny wader, which periodically graces the shores of Western Europe.But Coenraad Jacob Temminck was also a revered, self-taught naturalist and systematist who attained a high standard when it came to describing and naming specimens.He was responsible for describing 194 species spread over several continents and animal phyla.His name is honoured in the taxa of several species.Gass obtained her master's degree in biology at the University of Barcelona and in 2019 her doctorate in philosophy at the University of Leiden, with a dissertation titled 'Temminck's order: debates on zoological classification: 1800-1850', and this monograph is an adaptation of her dissertation.Her style is engaging and the book contains enough information, supported by ample source references, to make the reader want to know more.The presence of explicatory footnotes at the end of the book is a valuable addition.The introduction contains a useful summary of its chapters.The book itself is arranged in two parts: four chapters focusing on the life and career of Temminck and three on the broader history of emerging systematics in the first half of the nineteenth century through the work of Temminck.Temminck was born in a well-to-do Amsterdam merchant family.The presence of a substantial aviary and bird collection at home and the visits of well-known naturalists, such as Alexander von Humboldt and Franois Levaillant, formed the background of his youth and education, and having such a large collection at home made him acquainted with its management.In 1804 Temminck started to catalogue the 839 species in his collection.He did so with the help of Levaillant, who also contributed to the collection.Between 1807 and 1811 he published a series on gallinaceous birds and in 1813 a handbook on European birds, and even though the author lacked a formal academic education all were thorough scientific works.Temminck and his wife travelled throughout Europe