The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder and Obsession
Regular price
$24.17 USD
Regular price
$40.29 USD
Sale price
$24.17 USD
Unit price
per
You save $16.12 USD (40%)
In stock — Ships within 1–2 business days
Format
Print Book
Currently viewing
Hardcover
$24.17 USD
$40.29 USD
Secure CheckoutYour data is protected
Fast U.S. ShippingShips within 1–2 business days
Authentic Titles100% Genuine Books
Book Overview A New Yorker Best Book of the YearAn Economist Best Book of the YearThe forgotten story of a decades-long international quest for a rare ...
A New Yorker Best Book of the Year
An Economist Best Book of the Year
The forgotten story of a decades-long international quest for a rare and coveted orchid, chronicling the botanists, plant hunters, and collectors who relentlessly pursued it at great human and environmental cost.
In 1818, a curious root arrived in a small English village, tucked--seemingly by accident--in a packing case mailed from Brazil. The amateur botanist who cultivated it soon realized that he had something remarkable on his hands: an exceptionally rare orchid never before seen on British shores. It arrived just as "orchid mania" was sweeping across Europe and North America, driving a vast plant trade that catered to wealthy private patrons as well as the fast-growing middle classes eager to display exotic flowers at home. Dubbed Cattleya labiata, the striking purple-and-crimson bloom quickly became one of the most coveted flowers on both continents.
As tales of the flower's beauty spread through scientific journals and the popular press, orchid dealers and enthusiasts initiated a massive search to recover it in its natural habitat. Sarah Bilston illuminates the story of this international quest, introducing the collectors and nurserymen who funded expeditions, the working-class plant hunters who set out to find the flower, the South American laborers and specialists with whom they contracted, the botanists who used the latest science to study orchids in all their varieties, and the writers and artists who established the near-mythic status of the "lost orchid." The dark side of this global frenzy was the social and environmental harm it wrought, damaging fragile ecologies on which both humans and plants depended.
Following the human ambitions and dramas that drove an international obsession, The Lost Orchid is a story of consumer desire, scientific curiosity, and the devastating power of colonial overreach.
Book Details Format: Hardcover | Pages: 272 | Language: English | Publisher: HARVARD UNIV PR | ISBN: 0674272609
FormatHardcover
Pages272
LanguageEnglish
ISBN0674272609
EAN9780674272606
PublisherHARVARD UNIV PR
Publication Date1970-01-01
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeHARD COVER BOOKS
Weight1.75 Pounds
Length9.3 Inches
Width6.1 Inches
Height1.5 Inches
Shipping & Returns Fast, reliable shipping and easy returns on eligible items.
Most orders ship within 1–2 business days with fast, reliable U.S. delivery.
Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in line with our store return policy.
Why shop with AlbakiReads
Fresh Inventory from Major Publishers
Sourced through trusted book distributors, with fresh titles added regularly.
Secure Checkout
Your payment information is encrypted and protected every step of the way.
Fast U.S. Shipping
Most orders ship within 1–2 business days.
Books for Every Kind of Reader
From page-turners to timeless classics—find your next favorite read.
