Of course, we are entirely dependent on plants for our food
and the air we breathe, but did you know that 5,000 mature English oak trees
were used in the construction of Admiral Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, or that
sweet peas were involved in the birth of the science of genetics? King Cotton
was the driver of the slave trade, which was the first domino to fall in the American
Revolution, and cotton was also the catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. These,
and many other extraordinary facts in Fifty
Plants that Changed the Course of History, highlight the dynamic ways in
which plants have influenced human history.


This beautifully designed and illustrated volume provides an
engaging guide to the fifty key plants that have had the most impact on human
history. Packed full of information, the book includes details about the
habitat and characteristics of each plant, fact boxes, full colour photographs and
lovely botanical illustrations. Weaving together strands of economic, political
and agricultural history, each entry is a fascinating look at the most
influential plants known to mankind.