Fifty Plants That Changed

the Course of History

 By
Bill Laws
DAVID & CHARLES

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.

DAVID & CHARLES

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