The Plant Hunters tells the story of our obsession with plants. This book contains topics that range from the entourage of Alexander the Great which included naturalists to the establishment of botanical gardens and the discovery through exploration of the plants that have made or broken economies, such as tulips, tea and rubber. Travelling right around the world and throughout history, this is a tale of the botanical pioneers who changed the face of the world's landscape. Lavishly illustrated, it also includes some 20 items of memorabilia such as: a letter from Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy; extracts from Joseph Hooker's notebooks; an extract from the orchid sketchbook of John Day; and, an original map of Kew Gardens made in 1740 by Jean Rocque.