Fruits of Eden : David Fairchild and America's plant hunters / Amanda Harris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harris, Amanda, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fairchild, David, 1869-1954.

Fairchild, David.

Botanists--United States--Biography.

Botanists.

Alternative agriculture.

Plant introduction.

Plants, Edible.

History.

United States.

Plants, Edible--History.

Plant introduction--United States.

Food supply.

Alternative agriculture--United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

303 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Gainesville, FL : University Press of Florida, [2015]

Summary:

"At a time when much American fare tended to be bland, Fairchild believed in the free exchange of food plants--preferably colorful, tasty ones--among people around the world. He convinced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sponsor daring overseas explorations to track down and bring back foreign cultivars. Fairchild traveled to remote corners of the globe, searching for fruits, vegetables, and grains that would transform the American diet. In Fruits of Eden, Amanda Harris vividly recounts the exploits of Fairchild and his small band of adventurers and botanists as they traversed Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe."--Dust jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

Escape from Kansas

Good knight of the four winds

The New Year's resolution

The golden age of travel

Tramps together

From Far East to Mideast

The ends of the earth

Romance in America

Flying machine crank

A beautiful job

Easy money

Better babies

A Chinese wall

Plant enemies

The impossible

The last explorers

Grumpy old bachelor tramp

Pushing on.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-289) and index.

ISBN:

9780813060613

0813060613

OCLC:

907472678