Product Description
A revised edition of the widely used undergraduate text for the one-semester or one-quarter introductory course.Offers a balanced, concise introduction to all aspects of botany including the form, function, and evolution of plants and fungi. Includes a new chapter on genetics, a complete revision of the classification section using modern classification systems, and a general updating throughout. ... Read more

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This is a comprehensive study of Leonardo in the dual role of artist/botanist. Culled from the enormous output of ideas and drawings in the many notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Emboden's monumental work presents an unexplored aspect of the Renaissance genius. Published at $34.95 Our last copies available at $17.49 ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the ways in which a man's health is affected by plants. Categorizes plants into injurious, remedial, and psychoactive. Includes plants from seaweeds to flowering plants in addition to the bacteria and fungi. Covers plants affecting areas from cancer, oral hygiene, respiratory system and panaceas to those acting as stimulants, hallucinogens and depressants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Plant Chemistry
Although plant chemistry hasn't changed in the past 25 years, so much more has been learned in that time. This is a great book that covers the basic chemistry of medicinal plants and their effect on human physiology, however, it is time for this book to be updated.

Medical Botany is a Great Book.
I find that I refer to this book all the time. Medical Botany isn't a book for non-readers, not a kid's book by any means but it is very well-constructed, highly interesting, and chock full of information not easily found elsewhere. The authors of this book are considered by their peers in biology and botany to be THE medical botanists. They have spent many years in the jungles of Peru searching for new medicinal plants and few writers are better prepared for this than the Lewis's. Memory Elvin Lewis is a world-class microbiologist and her husband Walter H. Lewis is widely considered to be the world expert on pollen, allergy and plant connections. Mr. Lewis is also the senior botanist at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I consider this to be one of the most valuable books I own and highly recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in botany, medicine, or both.

The Best Book on Medicinal Plants
Medical Botany by the Lewis's is the book to read and own about medicinal plants. The authors are botanists of first order and have long been considered by many to be the world's experts on allergy and plants. For theperson with a serious interest in the subject, this is a great book. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Travel / Essays ... Read more

Product Description

Did you know that the smell of sassafras blowing offshore convinced Columbus he was near land? Or that the American sycamore, which has the largest tree trunk in the eastern forest, can live for 500 to 600 years? Or that in the period before the American Revolution, patriots designated a sycamore tree in each colony as a "Liberty Tree" -- a meeting place for plotting against the British?

These facts are just a few of thousands you'll find inBotanica North America, an encyclopedia of the wonderfully diverse North American native plants by noted Canadian garden writer Marjorie Harris. This charming compendium is filled with more than 420 entries that provide essential information on each plant's physical attributes, natural history, common uses, and ethnobotany. There are also fascinating, often surprising anecdotes about plants you won't find anywhere else. From the Eastern forest to the desert, this beautifully written volume roves across the continent exploring how climate and plant life have affected, aided, and inspired us, from the first Native Americans to North Americans living in the twenty-first century: "The lonely majesty of a wind-swept jack pine has inspired generations of poets and painters," Harris writes. "These trees endure in spite of terrible weather . . . a jack pine forest has a dense, closed canopy with an understory of cherry, blueberry, hazels, bracken, and sweet fern along with trailing arbutus."

Comprehensive and engaging, Botanica North America is also filled with lush photographs of plants in their natural habitat and insightful quotes from a variety of gardening experts and amateurs, from naturalist Rachel Carson to famed conservationist John Muir.

Here is a reference no gardener or environmentalist should be without.

Customer Reviews (5)

A Delight in Every Way!
I am usually not impressed by "coffee table" books, but a few are much more than just pretty pictures. "Botanica North America" is just such a book.Well written by Canadian horticulturalist Marjorie Harris and lavishly illustrated with color photographs this is a delightful compendium of North American plant science and lore.The chapters are arranged primarily by region (with a few digressions) and a final chapter on the "Three Sisters"- Corn, beans and squash, plus a few other North American food plants.Each entry is readable independently of the others and each has some gems of information, plus occasional informed opinion by the author.None of the entries are dull in any way! In my examination I could find no major typos and almost every statement I checked out seemed to be accurate.

This is not in any way a guide for identification, but it is a delight to read and peruse!I recommend it to all people interested in botany and/or gardening.It is well worth the price.

A Delight for the Natural Historian
This book is a delightful ramble through a selection from the world of economically, historically, and medicinally important plants.As does a preceding reviewer, I dip into it frequently just for pleasure and to increase my general knowledge of how these plants have been useful to others, especially the indigenous population.It is NOT a guide to cultivation (William Cullina's wonderful pair of books on native plants offer that), or identification (Britton and Brown remains supreme), but a well-written survey of carefully chosen plants with interesting attributes other than their beauty, ease of cultivation or commercial availability.It's a book written by a plant lover for other plant lovers.

A Fitting Tribute to Our Native Plants
Botanica North America is a hefty tome at a little over 650 pages (and I?m guessing over 5 pounds), but the necessity of such a length is explained by the subtitle. Indeed, it would seem an overwhelming task to encapsulate in a book the history, botany, and traditional uses of North America?s native plants. Who would even dare try? We can thank Marjorie Harris.

For this comprehensive volume, this prolific and admired Canadian author sought information and opinions from hundreds of experts throughout North America. The acknowledgments alone are over three, packed pages long, so we know that Harris consulted thousands of knowledgeable individuals, and she collected photographs from among the most talented artists on the continent.

Throughout the book, Harris conveys a reverence for our natural world and the plants that inhabit it. She writes with an ecologist?s view, noting that ?If the point of this book is to honor native plants, it is also to honor their history, the secrets they have shared, the role they have played and must continue to play in the survival of our species. . . . We are the stewards of this land and if we do our best . . . to save as much of their habitat as possible, then we will be giving these plants the respect they deserve.?

To organize such a daunting task, Harris divided North America into the following regions: the Eastern Forests (covering the Northeast and Southeast); Swamps and Wetlands; Florida; The Boreal Forest; The Prairie; The Desert; California; Montane; The Tall Trees; and The Tundra.

The profile of each region begins with several pages of overview that introduce each area and capture its essence. Then Harris concentrates on the plants that are critical to the region and have been historically important to the human inhabitants. She organizes the plants by family, and each species she highlights is described through its botanical structure, ethnobotany, and natural history.

One feature I especially appreciate is this book?s ?browsability.? I can pick it up just to admire the photos if I wish. Or I can thumb through, picking up captivating quotes by nature writers and early explorers, from William Bartram to Walt Whitman. Or I can browse the plant descriptions, learning fascinating tidbits of information. I have always wondered why the blooms of bluebells turn from pink to blue as they mature ? now I know. And I learned that Native Americans used the dogwood as an ?indicator plant,? timing their planting of corn to the blooming of the tree.

I look forward to learning more about the secrets and history of our native plants as I continue to explore this extensively researched book. Botanica North America will not get stored on my bookshelf; rather it will stay at my fingertips, always ready to supply me with information or inspiration.

Botanica... Beautiful but not the most comprehensive
I bought Marjorie Harris' Botanica after reading gardening magazine reviews that this was the most comprehensive volume on native plants ever assembled.However I've already found about 6 native plants that I have that aren't listed and I'm sure there will be more as I make my way through the huge volume.That aside, the photography is very nice and the plant descriptions are thorough and informative.I especially liked how each of these plants were used by native peoples was included.This is definitely a keeper on my shelf but will be used as a companion with other books, rather than being the complete, one and only volume on native plants it claims to be.

Native plants in their glory
This book is a departure for Canada?s best-known garden writer. The reviews I?ve read tend to give the impression that it is a gardening book, but it?s more of a venture into history, geography, botany and enthobotany, than horticulture. Information that gardeners depend on, such as hardiness zones of plants, isn?t there, but that doesn?t mean gardeners won?t be fascinated by this extensive exploration of North American native plants.

The book offers photos and the stories of more than 420 plants?trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants?that grew in North America before Europeans arrived. The plants were selected because they are or were in some way valuable or important to people, whether native peoples or European settlers. At more than 650 pages, the book is extensive (it would have taken several volumes to encompass all the important plants). Still, there are some surprising omissions, for example, hickory, bitternut and pecan are included in the juglandaceae, but the ubiquitous black walnut isn?t.

Organized geographically, the book ranges from the eastern forests to Florida, from the boreal forest to the prairies, the southern deserts to California and the Pacific Northwest. The northern tundra is included, as well as a chapter on the ?three sisters?, the agricultural plants aboriginal peoples cultivated, corn, squash and beans.

Lush photographs accompany many of the entries, which provide essential information on each plant?s attributes and historical uses. Harris includes stories and quotations from early European plant enthusiasts who often courted hardship and danger to learn as much as they could about the new plants they were encountering. Many compelling stories come from these early observers and amateur botanists. Unfortunately, the publisher chose only to index plant names (common and botanical), and not the names of people. For example, I was hoping to find reference to Catharine Parr Traill, the sister of Susanna Moody (of Roughing it in the Bush fame), and the author of Canadian Wild Flowers (1868). As early as the mid-nineteenth century, Parr Traill regretted the almost wholesale destruction of the Canadian wilderness and its plants due to the onslaught of farmers clearing the land for crops and loggers harvesting timbers to ship to eager markets in Europe. Parr Traill is, in fact, quotedseveral times, but you won?t find her name in the index. Notesfor each chapter do detail sources, but an alphabetical index would have made these names so much easier to find.

Botanica North America isn?t a book you can read from cover to cover quickly?instead it?s one to keep on the coffee table or at the bedside table to savor and dip into over many weeks. Harris brings to our attention the enormous variability and richness of the North American landscape. One can?t help but come away with a sense of regret over how much was destroyed, both deliberately and by accident (and still is being ruined today as suburban sprawl continues to eat up the landscape). Fortunately, awareness of native plants is on the upswing, and this book certainly marks a welcome contribution to the current revival of interest in these magnificent and under appreciated plants. Bravo, Marjorie Harris! ... Read more

Product Description
An illustrated encyclopaedia of over 250 herbs for medical problems ranging from anaemia to asthma, from tetanus to TB. Each entry includes the herb's Latin name, its English name, the name in Chinese characters, a botanical description, a pharmaceutical description, a phytochemical analysis, pharmacodynamic investigations, the Chinese therapeutic use of the drug, dosage given by Chinese herbalists and other relevant information. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A nice collection of tidbits
This is that strange type of herb books, written about Chinese herbs, butfrom a Western medicine -point of view.

The book is good for a fastoverview of the about 300 plants, minerals and animal parts covered, butthe information is far too sketchy to be of any practical importance. As anexample, a typical entry on the use is "Used as stomachic andcarminative, Dose, 10-15 gm.".

TCM herbalists are possibly happyabout the Chinese characters with each entry, but as the author has gone togreat lengths to translate TCM terms into western ones it's doubtful if TCMpeople find any value in the work.

The index of western ailments /Chinese herbs could perhaps point you into a new direction if you're stuckin your therapeutics.But otherwise the book is just a nice collection oftidbits for the herbalist. ... Read more

Product Description
The tree is beloved as Mother Nature's visible symbol of power and grace. The Meaning of Trees is a beautiful celebration of their lore and spirit, botany and history. Genera from aspen to willow are captured in 70 dramatic photographs that illustrate their brilliant seasonal transformations. Featuring 50 different types of tree, this informative compendium describes each by way of botanical qualities; medicinal uses for their leaves, bark, and wood; cultural symbolism; magical associations; and so much more. Fascinating facts abound: the Druids believed that only the wood of the yew tree was fit to make wands; a Ukrainian tonic of birch leaves contains the same healing properties as aspirin. A visually stunning and engaging guide, The Meaning of Trees is a fitting tribute to this most majestic of natural wonders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

This book is a great compliment to the tree oracle cards
Such great information on all the trees. I especially like how healing proporties and myths are listed for each tree along with all the information about the trees.

Awsome photo work.
Even if you don't like to read you will love this book for it's excellent recopilation of photo work. You will buy this book.

The Meaning of Trees: Botany, History, Healing, Lore
I guess it is ok but I was not impressed with this book. Althought it did have an overview of trees around the world.It just wasn't what I had expected as to healing and lore from the knowledge I already have.Sorry, I just wasn't impressed.Photo's of trees not in the prime of their grown to recognize most were old trees where you would have to look in remote areas to even find.

wonderful book
I had high expectations to this book seeing it on amazon, and I was very pleased with it. very thorough in its information and beautiful pictures, great overviews. thank you for thorough work through history mythology and more. I love trees, and i love this book.

The lore and lure of our magnificent trees
Excellent book for those who appreciate trees; I love the mythology & lore given as well as the beautiful photographs of trees all over the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A disquieting look at what creative science could achieve
Leo Lionni created a baffling, even maddening, encyclopedic compendium that describes, illustrates, arrays, and summarizes a host of imaginary plants---his parallel botany. Besides the detailed descriptions of these odd plants, Mr. Lionni, who is best known for his various children's books, rendered numerous illustrations of the various parallel plants. But he doesn't stop here: 23 figures and photographs of various scientists, researchers, explorers and parallel plants together paired with another 32 plates or charcoal or pencil drawings fortify the seeming reality of the world of parallel botany. (Keep in mind that a number of these plants are not visible.) The end notes to the chapters add more authenticity, and I assume, that many of the publications cited are real. The only component lacking is an index.

There are layers and layers of complexity to this spoof, for Mr. Lionni draws the reader into more than the facts and lore of his creations by also intertwining issues about philosophy, language, and the scientific method. He presents multiple points of view bantered by experts in this subject matter, and this debate enlivens the discussion. He firmly roots the research by drawing upon imaginary but real-sounding folk tales and legends, made more real by invoking actual historical figures. Hence, imaginary notes from Magellan's historian or the Greek philosopher Heraclitus are dissected and scrutinized for clues and encounters with various specimens from the realm of parallel plants. Such luminaries as the Swiss biologist Max Spinder or the Greek botanist Professor Spyros Rodokanankis, and many more, espouse their various theories and findings, often disagreeing about their findings and the implications of their research.

His methods remind one of both Borges and Lovecraft, two masters at creating real-sounding imaginary worlds supported by tier upon tier of crafted scholarship and science.

This book is unique and arguably the last, and the only, word on the subject of parallel botany. Some consider it hilarious, others a mere spoof, but certainly it is more than that, for Mr. Lionni expended considerable effort and time to document this imaginary segment of the plant kingdom. The fact that a major publisher issued the book in hardback suggests someone thought highly of this idea.

I take away a sense of astonishment at the amount of detail invoked to underscore the verisimilitude of the premise, and see this book as a wry jab at the reductionistic tendencies of a scientific method that seems at times to value cataloging over understanding our world.

(I also once had a vision many years ago that may have come from whatever source Mr. Lionni tapped for Parallel Botany, a vision of an asylum that housed crazed and dangerous plants that I rendered in an oil painting a friend of mine smuggled into the art gallery in the Saturn Bar down in New Orleans.)

A disquieting look at what creative science could achieve
Leo Lionni created a baffling, even maddening, encyclopedic compendium that describes, illustrates, arrays, and summarizes a host of imaginary plants---his parallel botany. Besides the detailed descriptions of these odd plants, Mr. Lionni, who is best known for his various children's books, rendered numerous illustrations of the various parallel plants. But he doesn't stop here: 23 figures and photographs of various scientists, researchers, explorers and parallel plants together paired with another 32 plates or charcoal or pencil drawings fortify the seeming reality of the world of parallel botany. (Keep in mind that a number of these plants are not visible.) The end notes to the chapters add more authenticity, and I assume, that many of the publications cited are real. The only component lacking is an index.

There are layers and layers of complexity to this spoof, for Mr. Lionni draws the reader into more than the facts and lore of his creations by also intertwining issues about philosophy, language, and the scientific method. He presents multiple points of view bantered by experts in this subject matter, and this debate enlivens the discussion. He firmly roots the research by drawing upon imaginary but real-sounding folk tales and legends, made more real by invoking actual historical figures. Hence, imaginary notes from Magellan's historian or the Greek philosopher Heraclitus are dissected and scrutinized for clues and encounters with various specimens from the realm of parallel plants. Such luminaries as the Swiss biologist Max Spinder or the Greek botanist Professor Spyros Rodokanankis, and many more, espouse their various theories and findings, often disagreeing about their findings and the implications of their research.

His methods remind one of both Borges and Lovecraft, two masters at creating real-sounding imaginary worlds supported by tier upon tier of crafted scholarship and science.

This book is unique and arguably the last, and the only, word on the subject of parallel botany. Some consider it hilarious, others a mere spoof, but certainly it is more than that, for Mr. Lionni expended considerable effort and time to document this imaginary segment of the plant kingdom. The fact that a major publisher issued the book in hardback suggests someone thought highly of this idea.

I take away a sense of astonishment at the amount of detail invoked to underscore the verisimilitude of the premise, and see this book as a wry jab at the reductionistictendencies of a scientific method that seems at times to value cataloging over understanding our world.

(I also once had a vision many years ago that may have come from whatever source Mr. Lionni tapped for Parallel Botany, a vision of an asylum that housed crazed and dangerous plants that I rendered in an oil painting a friend of mine smuggled into the art gallery in the Saturn Bar down in New Orleans.) ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the botanical richness of one of southern California s major waterways The Santa Ana River is the largest watercourse in the heavily populated coastal plain of southern California. Despite the encroachment of urban development, however, the river and its environs are home to over eight hundred plant species. In this seminal guide to the flora of the Santa Ana River, Oscar F. Clarke and his team have compiled descriptions of three hundred species, accompanied by 3,200 images and illustrations. The book also serves as an introduction to basic botanical concepts, applying phylogenetics the study of evolutionary relationships between species to taxonomic structure. Surprising connections emerge with an understanding of the relationships between these plants, as well as between the trees, flowers, and other types of flora in all regions of the world. The culmination of a lifetime of botanical study, this guide is a must-have for anyone interested in learning more about green, growing things. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Flora of Santa Ana River
A most useful book for all of S. California.One of my favorite books.I use it a lot for detailed info and good pictures.

Beautiful and informative
It's beautiful and well researched.The photos are fantastic.Personally, I prefer a dichotomous key, but this will be very helpful for academic and lay users both, equally.This book will likely be useful to anyone interested in plants in southern California, because it covers most of the species that are typical of the entire region.The Santa Ana runs through most all of the primary biozones of the region, so the book ends up covering most all of the typical plants of the area.

It's just a little too big for the pocket, but it's small enough for the daypack.Owning most all of the lay and academic texts on plants of the region, I think this is one of the most useful, appealing, and accessible.It is easy to use without sacrificing or fudging the botanical information.I highly recommend it for most users interested in Western Riverside and Orange counties, as well as Los Angeles and western San Diego county.It will be less useful for desert region identification.

If you are are looking for a portable dichotomous key, try the flora of San Diego county.Even if you are outside San Diego county, it will only be missing a few species.Then again, if you are a botanist seeking a technical manual, you probably know this already.

If you are just interested in plants, this one is excellent, and it has enough technical information in it that it will still be useful as your knowledge grows.

For beginners and others. Beautiful.
Oscar Clarke's book on the Santa Ana River has a very special meaning for Southern California. It illustrates the surprising and beautiful results from imported water. The most dramatic demonstration is in the Santa Ana River. Superficially the Santa Ana doesn't appear to be such a great river. But that is because most of the flow is underground. And much of that water was imported. Users along the course pass the used water to the soil beneath them, and it joins the flow.

The result is a springtime display (and year-round too) of water-loving plants, and drier species on the slopes above. The magic of imported water brings back the floristic beauty that we might have supposed was lost with the "development" of Southern California. Of course we also get species that were considered alien, but many of them are beautiful too.

Oscar's easy and natural approach to evolution-based systematics is described on Page 5. He tells how to remember the series: kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, species. For the huge Sunflower family, this series is not sufficient to bring order, and the family is divided into 14 tribes (as listed on Page 355) before dividing further into genus and species.

Oscar's description of tribes in the Sunflower family appears to be a traditional listing, similar to that in Munz, P.A. "A Manual of Southern California Botany" (1935), referenced by Oscar. But there has been some moving of particular genera to different tribes, some merging of tribes, some name updates, and the addition of two tribes from Africa, including that of the Freeway Daisy.

Getting technical for a moment, I can remark that the division into tribes is imperfect, with overlaps and uncertainties due to the contrary effects of speciation and evolutionary convergence. More recent floras such as the encyclopedic and authoritative 1993 Jepson Manual attempt to improve upon the tribes with newly constructed "groups", but I think the imperfection remains.

The book is an easy introduction to flower hunting for beginners. But those who have lists of flowers from past jaunts, and would like to recall pleasant memories, can also use it. There can be confidence that nearly every species along the Santa Ana River is included.

Brilliant and not limited to the Santa Ana River
This is, by far, the best book I've ever seen on botany with incredible pictures, phenominal keys, and a useful description of the plants that puts them in a perspective that helps the reader to understand how these plants fit into the rest of the planet's botany.

The authors' understanding of botany is exceptional.

The title of the book might limit its audience but botanical professionals and novices alike will find this book extremely useful and engaging. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Not impressed
This lab book has writing in it everywhere.I can't use many of the pages for class because of this writing.Not what I expected.

Great Price/Buy
The three book deal (textbook, lab book, and photography reference book) all new- all less than $200.
Great buy. Would do it again in a heartbeat. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first comprehensive treatment of an important segment of the flora of California: native plants that have varying degrees of fidelity to serpentine rock and soil that make up over 1100 square miles in the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada. Many of California's unique endemic plants are found nowhere else but on serpentine; over 200 species, subspecies, and varieties of native plants are restricted to some degree to serpentine. The author describes the geology, soils, and mineral nutrition of serpentines (low in normal essential nutrients, high in magnesium, iron, and toxic heavy metals, nickel, and chromium), the vegetation and flora that tolerate this inhospitable habitat, the fauna on serpentines, and management/conservation problems associated with serpentines. This is an essential guide to an important aspect of the flora of California. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the fascinating story of a small group of eighteenth-century naturalists who made Britain a nation of gardeners and the epicenter of horticultural and botanical expertise. It’s the story of a garden revolution that began in America.

In 1733, the American farmer John Bartram dispatched two boxes of plants and seeds from the American colonies, addressed to the London cloth merchant Peter Collinson. Most of these plants had never before been grown in British soil, but in time the magnificent and colorful American trees, evergreens, and shrubs would transform the English landscape and garden forever. During the next forty years, Collinson and a handful of botany enthusiasts cultivated hundreds of American species. The Brother Gardeners follows the lives of six of these men, whose shared passion for plants gave rise to the English love affair with gardens. In addition to Collinson and Bartram, who forged an extraordinary friendship, here are Philip Miller, author of the best-selling Gardeners Dictionary; the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, whose standardized nomenclature helped bring botany to the middle classes; and Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, who explored the strange flora of Brazil, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia on the greatest voyage of discovery of their time, aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavour.

From the exotic blooms in Botany Bay to the royal gardens at Kew, from the streets of London to the vistas of the Appalachian Mountains, The Brother Gardeners paints a vivid portrait of an emerging world of knowledge and of gardening as we know it today. It is a delightful and beautifully told narrative history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

An Enjoyable & Pleasant Outing
Wulf has crafted an interesting and enjoyable history tying a number of well known botanists, explorers and collectors from the 18th century into an engaging account. Circumstance, fortitude, endeavor, and coincidence all play out to ultimately make Great Britain the horticultural center of knowledge of the colonial age.

Fascinating, well-written book
The Brother Gardeners is a compelling read, chronicling the colorful men who made their mark on the horticultural world in the 18th and 19th centuries.You'll meet John Bartram, the unsophisticated American who in collaboration with his English friend Peter Collinson (who he never met), changed the landscape of Britain with the North American plants he sent to that country.The clash of personalities, egos, and sensibilities are riveting as Wulf describes the English resistance to Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus system of classifying plants because it was based on a sexual system of ordering - and perhaps more importantly because Linnaeus was self-promoting and arrogant.Linnaeus was a genius, and ultimately he transformed plant classification and nomenclature, but he irritated people, and that caused them to resist his innovative ideas.You'll meet Daniel Solander, Linnaeus' protégé, who deserted his mentor in favor of his newfound British colleagues who were enchanted with his engaging personality as well as his botanical skills and knowledge.Another important player is Joseph Banks who built on the achievements of these people by consolidating practical horticulture, systematic botany and imperial expansion into a coherent enterprise.The people involved in the early years of horticultural exploration, classification, and plant trading are fascinating, and the stories and interrelationships of the key men are beautifully told in this excellent book.

Fascinating History Told Well
This book was reviewedon public radio and because of it, I purchased the book. itis well written and enjoyable, especially if you are a history buff as well as a gardner.

The Brother Gardeners
This is a book that will be of interest to anyone interested in growing plants of all kinds. Infact, every plant lover should have a copy in their library.

Fascinating and Compelling History
The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession
One of the best written and organized books that I have read in quite some years. What could be a pretty esoteric topic becomes a wonderfully interesting and germane story. To some extent it reminds me of Kurlansky's Cod although this work is even better written.

The book comes alive because the author captures so well the personalities of the people involved. Bartram and Collinson are so human. And their problems in keeping up a relationship at such a distance is beautifully and sypathetically portrayed. Linnaeus is wonderfully and humanly portrayed. What a genius, what a jerk! Reminds me to some extent of Richard Wagner, one of my favorite composers, but one of the most
egotistical and sometimes downright nasty people that one is likely to
meet. The same sort of self-aggrandizing individual as Linnaeus. Banks, who, at first, seems (and evidently was) completely heartless, becomes more humane as he ages. And I love the irascible Miller who is a genius in his own way and knows best about everything (which often he does), but can be irritating to those with less knowledge and ability, and too dogmatic to see the virtue of Linnaeus' system. And the charming Solander, who has the guts to abandon Linnaeus, is amusing as the scholar and drawing room raconteur (some great scenes when Banks saves his life and they enjoy the splendors--and women--of Tahiti together).

I love the way the author naturally weaves into the story the personalities and events of the day--Benjamin Franklin, Lord Petre, James Cook, William Bligh; the American Revolution, the war with France, the colonial ambitions of the major nation players. What a treat to see history written as it should be, fascinatingly and compellingly.

The writing flows so well, the ideas are so well organized, and the pictures that Ms. Wulf paints are so vivid, that it all seems so effortless. However, after reading the acknowledgments and bibliography, I know that is not the case. I can only marvel at what Ms. Wulf has achieved. What a fascinating topic, marvelously presented!!!
... Read more