The Lysenko affair was perhaps the most bizarre chapter in the history of modern science. For thirty years, until 1965, Soviet genetics was dominated by a fanatical agronomist who achieved dictatorial power over genetics and plant science as well as agronomy. \"A standard source both for Soviet specialists and for sociologists of science.\"&;American Journal of Sociology \"Joravsky has produced . . . the most detailed and authoritative treatment of Lysenko and his view on genetics.\"&;New York Times Book Review