Flower Hunters
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The flower hunters were intrepid explorers - remarkable, eccentric men and women who scoured the world in search of extraordinary plants from the middle of the seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century, and helped establish the new science of botany. For these adventurers, the search for new, undiscovered plant specimens was something worth risking - and often losing - their lives for.
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From the Douglas-fir and the monkey puzzle tree, to exotic orchids and azaleas, many of the plants that are now so familiar to us were found in distant regions of the globe, often in wild and unexplored country, in impenetrable jungle, and in the face of hunger, disease, and hostile locals. It was specimens like these, smuggled home by the flower hunters, that helped build the great botanical collections, and lay the foundations for the revolution in our understanding of the natural world that was to follow. Here, the adventures of eleven such explorers are brought to life, describing not only their extraordinary daring and dedication, but also the lasting impact of their discoveries both on science, and on the landscapes and gardens that we see today.
Liked Flower Hunters? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Flower Hunters. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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Seven Flowers: And How They Shaped Our World Shares nonfiction, history, botany -
Brilliance and Fire: A Biography of Diamonds Shares nonfiction, history, science -
Blood Feud: The Man Who Blew the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever Shares nonfiction, history, science -
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women Shares nonfiction, history, science
“If you want more of the same (history), start with these.”
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Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science
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The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother Tongue
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The Atlas of Languages: The Origin and Development of Languages Throughout the World
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The Book of Codes: Understanding the World of Hidden Messages: An Illustrated Guide to Signs, Symbols, Ciphers, and Secret Languages
