American Eden

David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic

Victoria Johnson author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:WW Norton & Co

Published:21st Jun '19

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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American Eden cover

When Dr David Hosack tilled the America’s first botanical garden in the Manhattan soil more than two hundred years ago, he didn’t just dramatically alter the New York landscape; he left a monumental legacy of advocacy for public health and wide-ranging support for the sciences. A charismatic dreamer admired by the likes of Jefferson, Madison and Humboldt, and intimate friends with both Hamilton and Burr, the Columbia professor devoted his life to inspiring Americans to pursue medicine and botany with a rigour to rival Europe’s. Though he was shoulder-to-shoulder with the founding fathers Hosack and his story remain unknown. Now, in melodic prose, Victoria Johnson eloquently chronicles Hosack’s tireless career to reveal the breadth of his impact.

"Victoria Johnson follows Hosack’s life and legacy through a range of detail and social context which answers all the answerable questions. It is 54 years since Hosack was the subject of a full biography. Johnson has added some more details, written in a lively way and has related him to other prominent people of his lifetime." -- Financial Times
"American Eden’s many glimpses of the swamps, meadows, fields and flora lying beneath the city, meticulously mapped, are among its greatest pleasures." -- Times Literary Supplement
"... Victoria Johnson’s fine science biography... A rich and compelling read." -- Nature
"American Eden will not disappoint.... In her ambitious and entertaining book Johnson connects past to present." -- Marta McDowell - The New York Times Book Review
"“[A] captivating biography…" -- Penelope Rowlands - The Wall Street Journal

  • Short-listed for Pulitzer Prize 2019
  • Long-listed for Cundill History Prize 2019

ISBN: 9781631496011

Dimensions: 211mm x 140mm x 30mm

Weight: 393g

480 pages