Seeds of Blood and Beauty

‘If travel, adventure and exploration are the elements you look for in a book, you won’t be disappointed by Seeds of Blood and Beauty.’ – Geographical, Magazine of the Royal Geographical Society

‘a surprising and exciting book’ – Scots Magazine

Seeds of Blood and Beauty follows the exploits of the great Scottish plant collectors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; men who left their native shores in search of exotic specimens, often risking life and limb for the sake of botany. More explorers than gardeners, their quests took them to far-flung territories, swapping Aberdeen for Africa, Falkirk for China, Glasgow for Afghanistan and Auchenblae for Antarctica.

In this extensively researched book, Ann Lindsay introduces a large and varied cast of explorers, featuring men such as William Wright (1735–1810), who left the quiet Fife town of Crieff for Jamaica, and Aberdonian Francis Masson (1741–1805), who metamorphosed from an introspective under-gardener at Kew Gardens to an intrepid pioneer who faced gangs of bandits and poisonous snakes in Africa in pursuit of new botanical discoveries.

As well as providing insights into the purposes and practicalities of scientific exploration over three centuries and examining the astonishing contribution these pioneers made in their field, Seeds of Blood and Beauty also shows how social change in Britain and abroad influenced botanical research and how this was reflected in Scotland’s gardens. The result is a fascinating and informative book combining biography, history and horticulture.

Ann Lindsay was brought up in rural Aberdeenshire. She is currently Consultant PR Manager for the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. She has written a number of books, including Mystical Scotland, Hidden Scotland and The Dried Flower Garden. She lives near Dunkeld, Perthshire.