Sex, Botany and Empire (Icon Science): The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks - Softcover

Fara, Patricia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1840465735 ISBN 13: 9781840465730

Publisher: Icon Books, 2004

Synopsis

When the imperial explorer James Cook returned from his first voyage to Australia, scandal writers mercilessly satirised the amorous exploits of his botanist, Joseph Banks. Was the pursuit of scientific truth really what drove Enlightenment science? Patricia Fara reveals the existence, barely concealed under Banks' and Linnaeus' camouflage of noble Enlightenment, of the altogether more seedy drives to conquer, subdue and deflower in the name of the British Imperial state.

About this title

Review:

"'Absorbing' Observer; 'Enticing... with a sharp eye for 18th-century mores, this is an engrossing exploration of the growth of the British Empire.'Good Book Guide; 'Delectable' Marina Warner; 'An entertaining account of the appliance of science to the needs of empire' Financial Times; 'The book's lively prose combines historical detail with humorous anecdotes.' Geographical Magazine"

From the Author:

Patricia Fara is a Fellow of Clare College at the University of Cambridge, where she teaches history of science. Previous books include Newton: The Making of Genius (Macmillan, 2001) and An Entertainment for Angels (Icon, 2001).

About this edition

• Publisher: Icon Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1840465735
• ISBN 13: 9781840465730
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192