Author: Jack Nisbet
Publisher: PERSEUS / RUNNING PRESS, Jul 2010
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 1-57061-613-2
Synopsis
Douglas was the premier botanical explorer in the Pacific NW & t/out other areas of western North America. His discoveries include 100s of western plants--most notably the Douglas Fir. Follow Douglas's journeys into a literal ?brave new world? of then-obscure realms from Puget Sound to the Sandwich Islands. Evokes a lost world of pristine nature, ambition, & cultural & class conflict with surprisingly modern resonances. 8.5x6 inches, 288 pgs.
More Information
Jack Nisbet first told the story of British explorer David Thompson, who mapped the Columbia River, in his acclaimed book Sources of the River, which set the standard for research & narrative biography for the region. Now Nisbet turns his attention to David Douglas, the premier botanical explorer in the Pacific Northwest & throughout other areas of western North America. Douglas's discoveries include hundreds of western plants--most notably the Douglas Fir. The Collector tracks Douglas's fascinating history, from his humble birth in Scotland in 1799 to his botanical training under the famed William Jackson Hooker, & details his adventures in North America discovering exotic new plants for the English & European market. The book takes readers along on Douglas's journeys into a literal ?brave new world? of then-obscure realms from Puget Sound to the Sandwich Islands. In telling Douglas's story, Nisbet evokes a lost world of early exploration, pristine nature, ambition, & cultural & class conflict with surprisingly modern resonances.