In Pursuit of Plants: Experiences of Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Plant Collectors - Hardcover

A fascinating collection that's organized by geographic region and thoroughly documented. An ideal book to keep by your favorite chair and dip into when you need a break from ordinary life. It's a marvel to have these tales collected in one volume. -- Allison Short "Rain Taxi" (10/04/2004) Will satisfy the yearning for distant lands and exotic flora. -- Mark Laiosa "WBAI 99.5 FM" (01/22/2005) Find out why plant hunter F. W. Hostmann allowed the vampire bats of Surinam to suck his toes. Plenty of armchair adventure here. You'll never take common plants like lilacs, gardenias or Douglas firs for granted again. -- Pat Rubin "Sacramento Bee" (03/26/2005) Features fascinating, firsthand stories taken from journals and letters of the explorers. -- Connie Krochmal "Bella Online" (10/10/2004) It is a book tht is hard to put down once you pick it up. -- William Grant "University of California at Santa Cruz Arboretum Bulletin" (06/23/2004) These are fascinating, wonderfully readable firsthand accounts from 19th and 20th century plant collectors as they search new worlds for new plants. The adventures make gardeners appreciate plants now regarded as commonplace in their gardens. -- Suzanne Hively "Cleveland Plain Dealer" (05/24/2004) Should appeal to professional and amateur botanists, gardens and anyone interested in natural history and travel. -- Joanne S. Carpender "National Gardener" (08/01/2004) Those interested in natural history, exploration, and 19th-century travel stories will find the letters and journal entries gathered in this collection very satisfying reading. For nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat excitement you will be hard pressed to beat this new non-fiction offering from Timber Press. -- Julie Mikoley "Heirloom Gardener" (11/08/2004) This volume is recommended to both botanists and horticulturists, and to anyone interested in early botanical travel in many wild parts of the world. -- Nancy G. Slack "Quarterly Review of Biology" (09/01/2005) The perils of shipwrecks, warring local tribes, fevers, ant and leech attacks, and the difficulties of transporting precious plant specimens on the backs of galumphing camels are all detailed. What stands out most in these accounts, however, is the thrill of discovering something new. Fascinating reading. By no means restricted to commentary on plants, the book contains information about animals used in exploration, as well as the customs and behavior of the indigenous people encountered on plant-hunting expeditions. The excitement of meeting up with new and beautiful plants keeps one reading. -- Peter V. Bruyns "Plant Systematics and Evolution" (06/21/2005) Illustrated with period botanical plates and modern photographs, this book will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the study of natural history, travel, and the age of discovery. The narratives should appeal to both professional plant collectors and lovers of good adventure tales. -- Colin Boyle "Selbyana" (01/01/2005)

Those interested in natural history, exploration, and 19th-century travel stories will find the letters and journal entries gathered in this collection very satisfying reading. Short (plant taxonomist, Northern Territory Herbarium, Australia) supplies brief notes and an introduction to each entry. The selection, which is loosely based around plant