This project began way back in the early 1990s at the University of York, when a DPhil that was intended to focus on databases for biological nomenclature turned into a project focusing on a much wider scope of questions, concerning the way that biologists think about taxonomy. I am extremely grateful for those who at the time supported that shift in focus and enabled me to broaden my horizons. Special thanks are due to Michael Usher, to Michael Dadd and Georgina Mackenzie of BIOSIS, to Frank Bisby, and to Bob Allkin. Subsequently I have to thank Michael Mulkay for giving me the initial impetus to explore the sociology of science, and then Steve Woolgar for having the faith to back me in my efforts to change discipline.