Unusual and interesting plants photographed and described in their natural habitats, often in very remote places - anyone remember the heady uplands of tulip and meadows of fritillary in Gar... read more
A marvellous debut from a young man of complex literary and musical parentage: birds of a feather, sins of the father, on and off the rails (the cenotaph too, memorably) - and a magpie calle... read more
Its second subtitle is "an adventurous history of botany". JG is a scientist and an historian of exploration (his "The Rattlesnake: A Voyage of Discovery to the Coral Sea" was excellent).
More reading of natural runes - its subtitle gives the game away: 'How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop'. He doesn't go so far as the use of lak... read more
Densely packed, multi-layered, beautifully composed. HG tells a rich story of shifting tectonic plates and subterranean landscapes, as much about our geological past as it is our future. Bri... read more
Despite his prominence as a crucial figure in China's struggle against deforestation, Purdom (1880-1921) has been largely overlooked by history. He lived a short, quietly heroic life, campai... read more