--- product_id: 1563401 title: "The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession" price: "22516CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1563401-the-brother-gardeners-a-generation-of-gentlemen-naturalists-and-birth store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession **Price:** 22516CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession - **How much does it cost?** 22516CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1563401-the-brother-gardeners-a-generation-of-gentlemen-naturalists-and-birth) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A fascinating look at the men who made Britain the center of the botanical world—from the author of Magnificent Rebels and New York Times bestseller The Invention of Nature. “Wulf’s flair for storytelling is combined with scholarship, brio, and a charmingly airy style.... A delightful book—and you don’t need to be a gardener to enjoy it.” — The New York Times Book Review Bringing to life the science and adventure of eighteenth-century plant collecting, The Brother Gardeners is the story of how six men created the modern garden and changed the horticultural world in the process. It is a story of a garden revolution that began in America. In 1733, colonial farmer John Bartram shipped two boxes of precious American plants and seeds to Peter Collinson in London. Around these men formed the nucleus of a botany movement, which included famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus; Philip Miller, bestselling author of The Gardeners Dictionary; and Joseph Banks and David Solander, two botanist explorers, who scoured the globe for plant life aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavor. As they cultivated exotic blooms from around the world, they helped make Britain an epicenter of horticultural and botanical expertise. The Brother Gardeners paints a vivid portrait of an emerging world of knowledge and gardening as we know it today. Review: Another Absolute Treasure from Andrea Wulf - It should not be too difficult to convince anyone who has read Ms. Wulf's "Founding Gardeners" (about the American founders' interest in plants and agriculture) that she has the unique ability to make books about shrubs and trees absolutely fascinating--even for folks like me who have neither interest in nor knowledge of gardens and plants. She had done it again in this earlier book on the evolution of the English garden. A common individual is central to both books--John Bartram of Philadelphia who as early as 1735 was shipping plants and seeds to Britain. Bartram had many connections as well with American gardeners, including Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Adams, as recounted in the "Founding Gardeners." But it was his shipments to Peter Collinson near London that began the spread of American plants that would eventually result in the development of the English landscape garden. But other key players are discussed as well, including Carl Linnaeus of Sweden who developed a sexual system for classifying plants which eventually came to dominate the study of botany. Another interesting character is Philip Miller whose "Gardeners Dictionary" (1731) was an influential encyclopedia of plants and trees which made information about plants easily accessible to all. The author traces how the very wealthy and titled became interested in stocking their estates with these enchanting American plants and shrubs, many of which were obtained from Bartram. From the upper classes, interest spread to the rest of British society and gardening became a "national craze." Eventually, flowers became enormously popular as well. However, more than just aesthetics were involved. London became the center of the scientific study of botany. Daniel Solander, protege of Linnaeus, became attached to the British Museum. Along with Joseph Banks, the towering figure of 18th century British science, Solander accompanied Captain Cook to Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand, returning with new specimens. The King converted his Kew Garden into a world respected botanical research center. Banks, who eventually headed the Royal Society, opened his Soho Square house and library to serious researchers. All this led to an increasing number of popular publications on gardening, which enhanced foreign interest in the English landscape garden which was replicated in several countries. All of this is recounted with great skill and superb narrative by the author. There are some beautiful illustrations; a Glossary of plants which describes some of those discussed in the text; a good bibliography; and ample endnotes and index to support the author's discussion. I challenge anyone to read this book and not have a happy feeling while doing so. What a pleasurable way to learn! Review: Mother Gardener, perhaps - Do you know why William Bligh's tomb is in the National Museum of Garden History, a few steps from Gertrude Jekyl's boots? Do you know how and why "English" gardens differ from "French" gardens? Probably not. Gardening and Botanical History are the nominal subjects of this book, but the heart of it is one of the great adventures of all time, the first voyage of Cook's HMS Endeavour and it's scientific mission(s). It ranks with the Lewis and Clark expedition or those of Ernest Shackleton in and around Antarctica, in the sweep of the story and importance of the results. If you've read "South" by Ernest Shackleton or "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, you should be prepared for Wulf's presentation of Joseph Banks' around the world quest for scientific knowledge aboard Cook's ship on its way to observe the Transit of Venus, about which Wulf has written another book. Wulf lets the facts speak for themselves and provides many references to source material, much of it online, that will give you hours if not months of adventure of your own. This book is about a more that one huge subject, handled with respect by a very competent scholar. It is about the revolution, if not the invention of gardening, about the invention of Taxonomy, about the seeds of Darwin's studies of evolution, planted by his grandfather. It's about the incredible importance of the Royal Society and some of its Fellows. It's about much more, especially if you are American or English. Any one of these sub-plots has been the subject of many college courses, but this book is definitely not a dry academic text. One of the most important subjects of "The Brother Gardeners" is, indirectly, 18th century American Colonial History. The continuous close relationship between John Bartram and his English "Brothers" when America was about to launch the War of Independence reminds us of how close the colonies were to the English and how badly the English government misread and lost their richest and closest allies. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and a few other people you may have heard of are also important to this first part of "Brother Gardeners". So much so that Wulf has written a second book about some of the "Founding Gardeners". The Kindle Edition may not be for the serious student of Gardening or History. Access to the footnotes is excellent by touch. The footnotes are not distracting and are terse and well done. But if you want to read the extensive bibliography you risk getting lost. And the glossary is almost unreadable since it is in an extremely small typeface and not expandable. Read this book once to learn about the "Brothers". Read it again with a computer handy for the original Notes of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks and others, and above all for the original botanical illustrations from various people mentioned in the text. If you are a biologist and think you know Linnaeus, this book and the online primary source material may revise or amplify you view. This reviewer is an old biologist with more than a year in Antarctica and another in England and some its gardens and I learned something from Andrea Wulf on almost every page of this innocent looking book. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #230,940 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #21 in Horticulture (Books) #51 in Gardening & Horticulture Essays (Books) #655 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 341 Reviews | ## Images ![The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712EtNnh05L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Absolute Treasure from Andrea Wulf *by R***K on July 29, 2011* It should not be too difficult to convince anyone who has read Ms. Wulf's "Founding Gardeners" (about the American founders' interest in plants and agriculture) that she has the unique ability to make books about shrubs and trees absolutely fascinating--even for folks like me who have neither interest in nor knowledge of gardens and plants. She had done it again in this earlier book on the evolution of the English garden. A common individual is central to both books--John Bartram of Philadelphia who as early as 1735 was shipping plants and seeds to Britain. Bartram had many connections as well with American gardeners, including Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Adams, as recounted in the "Founding Gardeners." But it was his shipments to Peter Collinson near London that began the spread of American plants that would eventually result in the development of the English landscape garden. But other key players are discussed as well, including Carl Linnaeus of Sweden who developed a sexual system for classifying plants which eventually came to dominate the study of botany. Another interesting character is Philip Miller whose "Gardeners Dictionary" (1731) was an influential encyclopedia of plants and trees which made information about plants easily accessible to all. The author traces how the very wealthy and titled became interested in stocking their estates with these enchanting American plants and shrubs, many of which were obtained from Bartram. From the upper classes, interest spread to the rest of British society and gardening became a "national craze." Eventually, flowers became enormously popular as well. However, more than just aesthetics were involved. London became the center of the scientific study of botany. Daniel Solander, protege of Linnaeus, became attached to the British Museum. Along with Joseph Banks, the towering figure of 18th century British science, Solander accompanied Captain Cook to Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand, returning with new specimens. The King converted his Kew Garden into a world respected botanical research center. Banks, who eventually headed the Royal Society, opened his Soho Square house and library to serious researchers. All this led to an increasing number of popular publications on gardening, which enhanced foreign interest in the English landscape garden which was replicated in several countries. All of this is recounted with great skill and superb narrative by the author. There are some beautiful illustrations; a Glossary of plants which describes some of those discussed in the text; a good bibliography; and ample endnotes and index to support the author's discussion. I challenge anyone to read this book and not have a happy feeling while doing so. What a pleasurable way to learn! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mother Gardener, perhaps *by D***N on July 25, 2012* Do you know why William Bligh's tomb is in the National Museum of Garden History, a few steps from Gertrude Jekyl's boots? Do you know how and why "English" gardens differ from "French" gardens? Probably not. Gardening and Botanical History are the nominal subjects of this book, but the heart of it is one of the great adventures of all time, the first voyage of Cook's HMS Endeavour and it's scientific mission(s). It ranks with the Lewis and Clark expedition or those of Ernest Shackleton in and around Antarctica, in the sweep of the story and importance of the results. If you've read "South" by Ernest Shackleton or "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, you should be prepared for Wulf's presentation of Joseph Banks' around the world quest for scientific knowledge aboard Cook's ship on its way to observe the Transit of Venus, about which Wulf has written another book. Wulf lets the facts speak for themselves and provides many references to source material, much of it online, that will give you hours if not months of adventure of your own. This book is about a more that one huge subject, handled with respect by a very competent scholar. It is about the revolution, if not the invention of gardening, about the invention of Taxonomy, about the seeds of Darwin's studies of evolution, planted by his grandfather. It's about the incredible importance of the Royal Society and some of its Fellows. It's about much more, especially if you are American or English. Any one of these sub-plots has been the subject of many college courses, but this book is definitely not a dry academic text. One of the most important subjects of "The Brother Gardeners" is, indirectly, 18th century American Colonial History. The continuous close relationship between John Bartram and his English "Brothers" when America was about to launch the War of Independence reminds us of how close the colonies were to the English and how badly the English government misread and lost their richest and closest allies. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and a few other people you may have heard of are also important to this first part of "Brother Gardeners". So much so that Wulf has written a second book about some of the "Founding Gardeners". The Kindle Edition may not be for the serious student of Gardening or History. Access to the footnotes is excellent by touch. The footnotes are not distracting and are terse and well done. But if you want to read the extensive bibliography you risk getting lost. And the glossary is almost unreadable since it is in an extremely small typeface and not expandable. Read this book once to learn about the "Brothers". Read it again with a computer handy for the original Notes of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks and others, and above all for the original botanical illustrations from various people mentioned in the text. If you are a biologist and think you know Linnaeus, this book and the online primary source material may revise or amplify you view. This reviewer is an old biologist with more than a year in Antarctica and another in England and some its gardens and I learned something from Andrea Wulf on almost every page of this innocent looking book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderful wonderful! *by C***Y on January 9, 2012* I majored in Biology in college, but honestly never found Botany terribly engaging. The history of botanists didn't even hit my radar. I found this book as I'm just entering into a career in teaching and am so glad it was recommended by Amazon! Andrea Wulf has an amazing way of integrating the correspondence and publications of her Botanical subjects in a way that is both engaging and informative. I felt like I was reading a copy of Darwin meets Jane Austen (for Botanists)! My only reason for giving a four star rather than five rating is simply because I do agree that the book slows a bit with the introduction of Linnaeus, but it does pick up again after a couple of chapters. However, I also felt this was a necessary digression into the technical aspects of discovery and Linnaeus' significant influence on the world of Botany. With the content being couched so nicely in the midst of this engaging story it gave me a reason to sort through the challenge in order to get back to the Brittish-American dialogue later. It is the introduction of the scientific names of so many plants that is the challenging part, but so necessary to understanding how Binomial nomenclature was introduced and gradually accepted. So many innovative and foundational concepts being introduced! I applaud how well she handled the whole subject. I look forward to reading her recent book on the Founding Fathers. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1563401-the-brother-gardeners-a-generation-of-gentlemen-naturalists-and-birth](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1563401-the-brother-gardeners-a-generation-of-gentlemen-naturalists-and-birth) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-09-29*