Tag Archives: botany

The Naturalist’s and Traveller’s Companion

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Cambridge Library Collection

John Coakley Lettsom (1744–1815) seems to have been a nice sort of man. Born the son of a Quaker plantation owner in the Virgin Islands, he was sent to England at the age of six to be educated, and was … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Earth Sciences, Gardening, Geography, History, Life Science, Medicine, Physical Sciences, Slavery and Abolition, Travel and Exploration | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

From The North To The East

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Cambridge Library Collection

One of the most touching (and certainly the most unexpected) displays in the newly refurbished Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is a glass cabinet full of knitted hats.

Posted in Biography, Gardening, History, Life Science, Travel and Exploration | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Fortune in the Tea-Leaves

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Cambridge Library Collection

It is a truth universally acknowledged (at least by gardeners of my acquaintance) that Euonymus fortunei and its various cultivars have got to be the most boring plants ever to blight the landscape. (Even the thought of the coyly named … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Science, Travel and Exploration | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Recollections Of A Happy Life

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Cambridge Library Collection

The life in question was led by Marianne North. Yet another of the Victorian ladies in our list who do not conform to the ‘angel in the house’ stereotype, her travels worldwide were extraordinary enough, but her skill and productivity … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Life Science, Travel and Exploration, Women's Writing | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Icones Plantarum

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Cambridge Library Collection

One of the most influential botanical works ever produced was the multi-volume Icones Plantarum (‘Images of Plants’), begun by Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865) in 1837. Ten volumes were produced under his authorship, and we are now reissuing them.

Posted in Life Science, Travel and Exploration | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments