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One River
One River
Oct 28, 2024 1:19 AM

Author:Wade Davis

One River

From the author of INTO THE SILENCE, winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction

In 1941, Richard Evans Schultes took a leave of absence from Harvard University and disappeared into the Northern Amazon of Colombia.

The world’s leading authority on the hallucinogens and medicinal plants of the region, he returned after twelve years of travelling through South America in a dug-out canoe, mapping uncharted rivers, living among local tribes and documenting the knowledge of shamans.

Thirty years later, his student Wade Davis landed in Bogota to follow in his mentor’s footsteps – so creating an epic tale of undaunted adventure, a compelling work of natural history and a testament to the spirit of scientific exploration.

Reviews

Davis writes magnificently... A great lyrical book, as richly varied as the rain forests it describes

—— New York Times Book Review

An exceptional tale of 20th-century scientific exploration and a rousing travelogue to places both real and illusory

—— Kirkus Reviews

Extraordinary...a biographical tapestry rich in history, adventure, intrigue and scholarship

—— Nature

A wild ride through one rapid after another…magnificent

—— Boston Globe

Brilliantly written..this is essential reading for anyone interested in [the Amazon] area

—— Good Book Guide

[McDonough and Braungart's] ideas are bold, imaginative, and deserving of serious attention

—— Ben Eh

Fabulous ... What an incredible account of an amazing century

—— Kim Wilde

A wondrous telling of the history of the very English love affair with gardens and growing things

—— Jon Snow, Channel Four News

The Brother Gardeners is a delightful book. It brings the story of 18th-century gardening to life in a remarkably vivid way, and sheds new light on the personality clashes and prejudices which lay at the root of the Georgians' passion for plants

—— Adrian Tinniswood

The Brother Gardeners were a group of men involved in the 18th-century quest for new plants, at a fascinating period in garden history. Andrea Wulf brings their personalities vividly to life in her thoroughly researched and lively account.

—— Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall

A totally engrossing read

—— Rosie Atkins, Curator, Chelsea Physic Garden

Immaculately written and researched, this book brings to life the dramas and dangers of eighteenth-century plant collecting

—— Catherine Horwood

[An] engrossing history of botanical obsession in England in the 18th century ... The author has a good eye for interesting detail and a fine sense of literary economy

—— Tim Richardson , Country Life

A 'biography' of the quintessential English garden, taking in Captain Cook, Carl Linnaeus, and the simultaneous rise of the British Empire and flower arranging - a delightful look at horticultural history

—— Scotland on Sunday

As Wulf triumphantly shows, plants and gardens reveal a wider view of the forces that shape society ... An antidote to dry garden history; rarely has the story of English plants been told with such vigour, and such fun

—— Jennifer Potter , TLS

The best book this year is The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession

—— Leo Hollis , Independent on Sunday

Andrea Wulf has written a wonderful book, using a clutch of fascinating men to remind us the British Empire was once as much about white pine and Camellia japonica as it was about guns and steel ... enthralling story ... brilliantly readable book

—— Kathryn Hughes , Mail on Sunday
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