front cover of The Botany of Gin
The Botany of Gin
Chris Thorogood and Simon Hiscock
Bodleian Library Publishing, 2020

From its roots in ancient Greek herbal medicine, the popular spirit we now know as gin was first established by the Dutch in the sixteenth century as a juniper-infused tincture to cure fevers. During London’s “gin craze” in the eighteenth century, the spirit gained popularity—and notoriety—as consumption increased rapidly. In recent years, gin has enjoyed a resurgence, with botanical flavorings offering refined new ways to enjoy the classic cocktail. 

With this volume, Chris Thorogood and Simon Hiscock provide an account of how gin has been developed and produced. A diverse assortment of aromatic plants from around the world have been used in the production of gin over the course of several centuries, and each combination of botanicals yields a unique flavor profile that equates to more than the sum of its parts. Understanding the different types of formulation, and the main groups of plants used therein, is central to appreciating the drink’s complexities and subtleties. Garnished with sumptuous illustrations of the plants that tell the story of this complex drink, this enticing book delves into the botany of gin from root to branch. As this book’s extraordinary range of featured ingredients shows, gin is a quintessentially botanical beverage with a rich history like no other. 

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Chasing Plants
Journeys with a Botanist through Rainforests, Swamps, and Mountains
Chris Thorogood
University of Chicago Press, 2022
A New Scientist Best Book of the Year

From an acclaimed botanist and artist, a thrilling and beautifully illustrated expedition around the globe in search of the world’s most extraordinary plants.

 
After making a strange discovery on a childhood trip to Ikea—a stand of sap-sucking, leafless broomrapes, stealing nutrients from their neighbors’ roots—Chris Thorogood dreamed of becoming a botanist and would stop at nothing to feed his growing addiction to plants. In his hair-raising adventures across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Thorogood treads a death-defying path over cliffs, up erupting volcanoes, through typhoons, and out into the very heart of the world’s vast, green wilderness. Along the way, he encounters pitcher plants, irises, and orchids more heart-piercingly beautiful than could ever be imagined.
 
But with Thorogood as our guide in Chasing Plants, we not only imagine: we see. An internationally acclaimed botanical illustrator, Thorogood conjures his adventures spent seed-collecting and conserving plants around the world back to life in his electric paintings, which feature throughout the book. They bring plants out of the shadows, challenging us to see their intrigue and their character, and helping us to understand why plant species must be protected. To join Thorogood in his wild adventures is to be cast under his green spell: readers will never think of plants the same way again.
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Curious Creatures on Our Shores
Chris Thorogood
Bodleian Library Publishing, 2019
Beachcombing, overturning a boulder, or simply parting the strands of seaweed in a rock pool can offer a glimpse into a thriving underwater world of astonishing creatures. Starfish which, upon losing an arm, can grow a new one; ethereal moon jellyfish pulsating in the current; baby sharks hatching from their fancifully named ‘mermaids’ purses.’

This veritable marine bestiary tells these fascinating stories of life between the tides. Featuring stunning oil paintings by the author, Curious Creatures on our Shores presents over fifty of the most unusual and remarkable marine organisms found on British coasts, from beloved seahorses and starfish to lesser-known critters like sea potatoes and sea lemons.

Inspired by the Oxford University Museum of Natural History’s exceptionally rich zoology collections, which contain millions of specimens amassed from centuries of expeditions, this book invites us to marvel anew at the natural wonders found where water and land meet.
 
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Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Algarve
Chris Thorogood and Simon Hiscock
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2014
The Algarve region is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe—more than seven million tourists enjoy the beaches and culture of southern Portugal each year. While its mild climate entices human visitors, it also encourages natives of the floral variety. Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Algarve is the first comprehensive guide to these flowers. It covers more than one thousand of the species found in the area, which includes the remarkable Cape St. Vincent Peninsula National Park.

With the Field Guide, visitors can find the best places and times to see the plants. The Guide also explains their habitats and vegetation types. Richly illustrated, it includes hundreds of color photos and line drawings to aid identification, plus distribution maps that make it easy to plan trips and find nearby species.

Introductory passages give environmental context and cover climate, geology, agriculture, wildflower classification, and flower morphology. Written to appeal to both amateur naturalists and professional botanists alike, this is the essential companion for anyone drawn to the rich beauty of the Algarve.
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Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Algarve
Second Edition
Chris Thorogood and Simon Hiscock
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2019
The Algarve region of southern Portugal is an area of immense botanical importance with numerous endemic and rare species. It is also one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe, where it sees more than seven million tourists per year. Scientists and sightseers alike are drawn to the lovely flowers that dot the landscape. This is one of the few comprehensive identification guides that caters to both kinds of visitors, and the first edition has been a best-seller.

This second edition is fully updated with new species and new findings. Information is provided on where and when to see plants with information on their habitat and vegetation types. Rare and unusual plants of the region are highlighted, including orchids and parasitic plants. The more than one thousand descriptions are accompanied throughout with over 650 stunning color photographs, 780 line drawings, and distribution maps.
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front cover of Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean
Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean
Chris Thorogood
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2019
Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the EasternMediterranean is the most comprehensive and up-to-date plant identification guide to the area. This large area has a complex and varied geology and topography but is united by its typically Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The eastern Mediterranean has an exceptionally high number of endemic species, and a flora quite distinct from the western Mediterranean Basin.

The geographic coverage of this book spans the Ionian Archipelago, mainland Greece, Peloponnese, Aegean Islands, Crete, Cyprus, Mediterranean Turkey, and the coasts of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. Featuring more than three thousand plants, this easy-to-use guide focuses on the most common and conspicuous species that occur in the area, with plant descriptions, color photographs, and illustrations throughout. A section on where to see wild flowers in the region is included, as well as a glossary of terms. An ideal companion for wildlife and plant enthusiasts, this guide will enable anyone to reliably identify wild flowers in the field.
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front cover of Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean, Second Edition
Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean, Second Edition
Chris Thorogood
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2021
A thorough field guide to the wildflowers of the western Mediterranean’s sunny shores.
 
The western Mediterranean—running from Italy to Portugal and encompassing Corsica, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, and coastal North Africa—is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, home to more than 10,000 plant species. This updated edition of the Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean is the most comprehensive plant identification guide to the area. Covering more than 2,500 plants, this accessible guide focuses on the most common and conspicuous species that occur in the area, with descriptions, color photographs, and illustrations throughout. The book also includes sections on where to find native plants in the wild, as well as a glossary of terms. An ideal companion for wildlife and plant enthusiasts, this guide will enable even the most botanically blind to reliably identify native flora in the sunny and coastal climes of the western Mediterranean.
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front cover of Field Guide to the Wildflowers of the Western Mediterranean
Field Guide to the Wildflowers of the Western Mediterranean
Chris Thorogood
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2016
The Western Mediterranean is home to more than 10,000 plant species, which makes it one of the most important regions in the world for biodiversity. This book is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Western Mediterranean wildflowers, covering southern Europe from the Portuguese Algarve to Italy, and Morocco to Tunisia in North Africa, along with all the islands in between. It features 2,500 plants, and its more than 800 line drawings and color photographs make it the ideal companion for field identification.
 
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front cover of Oxford Botanic Garden
Oxford Botanic Garden
A Guide
Simon Hiscock and Chris Thorogood
Bodleian Library Publishing, 2019
Oxford Botanic Garden has occupied its central Oxford site next to the river Cherwell continuously since its foundation in 1621 and is the United Kingdom’s oldest botanic garden. Today, the Garden holds a collection of more than five thousand different types of plant, some of which exist nowhere else and are of international conservation importance.

This guide explores Oxford Botanic Garden’s many historic and innovative features, from the walled garden to the waterlily pool, the greenhouses, the rock garden, the water garden and “Lyra’s bench,” made famous in Philip Pullman’s beloved His Dark Materials series. It also gives a detailed explanation of the Garden’s medicinal and taxonomic beds and special plant collections. Lavishly illustrated with specially-commissioned photographs, this book not only provides a fascinating historical overview but also offers a practical guide to Oxford Botanic Garden and its work today. Featuring a map of the site and a historic timeline, this book is a beautiful souvenir of the birthplace of botanical science in the UK.
 
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