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

A compilation of fascinating first-hand accounts of the experiences of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century collectors in their pursuit of plants from around the world. Extracted from journals and letters, some previously unpublished, the accounts are a mix of adventure, of sometimes grim but always captivating and occasionally humorous images of a lost world, and of stories of the practical problems associated with plant collecting. Notes about the collectors and commentary on the plants they gathered are included, as too are appendices detailing development of the Wardian Case for the shipment of live plants and the role of herbaria in the discovery and naming of plants.