Product Description

Unravels the hidden histories of plants that sustained empires, from sugar and cotton to tea and opium Real-life adventures of planters, traders and smugglers by authors of the highly successful The Plant Hunters (over 12,000 copies sold in hardback) Exciting, vivid stories which bring a new and original perspective to the rise and fall of nations, peoples and empires Illustrated with dramatic contemporary photographs, beautiful botanical drawings, paintings and cartoons

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #284676 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

A well-researched and elegantly presented survey.
This work is a graceful introduction into the fascinating roles of people, policies and plants and how they shaped our world over the past several centuries. Each chapter surveys one of seven plants and shows how they were adapted by various colonies in the British Empire as their economic mainstays. While the material covered is detailed, the reader is assisted by the careful organization of each chapter. In effect, there is a template followed as the topic shifts from tobacco to sugar to cotton, to opium. The presentation, while orderly, is lively and interspersed frequently with well-selected color illustrations and in-set boxes that touch upon interesting and related topics that are better treated in isolation. The influence of the seminal work by Henry Hobhouse --"Seeds of Change" -- is evident by fairly frequent citations from his work and special mention in the Bibliogtraphy. Homage extends to the Introduction entitled: Seeds of Wealth. What this book accomplishes best is the opening of many windows for further pursuit. In particular, the instances of 'botanic piracy' in the transfer of tea, cinchona (quinine) and rubber from their original locales in China and South America cannot but pique the interest of every reader. Many readers may be surprised to learn that these expeditions were funded by the Colonial or India Office and abetted by plant collectors dispatched by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. In reading further, a good start would be to read "The Plant Hunters" by the same authors as well as the recently-revised edition of "Seeds of Change." Lastly, percipient readers accept the fact that colonial economic policies as they evolved over the centuries entailed many features that, today, are quite unacceptable. The authors do not shy from noting injustices where relevant but space limits their comments. In any event and despite modern fashion, history is ill-served when written in the subjunctive. All in all, an instructive and enjoyable read.

A surprising (and surprisingly interesting) history of cash crops in the British Empire
This was a fascinating history of cash crops in the British Empire. There is a chapter each for tobacco, sugar, cotton, tea, opium, quinine, and rubber. The extent to which these crops adjusted the balance of the global economy is hard to overstate. They were the critical commodities of their day. Until now I was unaware of just how important a role in the history of the global economy was played by Kew Gardens. Who would have thought? The text is concise and gives just the right amount of detail. The book is also gorgeously illustrated.