In Search of the Blue Poppy: Chinese Adventures of Twentieth Century Flower Hunters

Following on from the authors’ previous book, Flower Hunters, In Search of the Blue Poppy details the lives of the intrepid explorers who risked their lives in pursuit of exotic plants in the Far East. At the beginning of the 20th Century, eastern plants began to be introduced to gardens worldwide, prompting flower hunters to embark on daring adventures around the globe. Set against a backdrop of the breakup of the British and Chinese Empires, two World Wars, the emergence of the USA as a world power and a transport revolution, In Search of the Blue Poppy is a fascinating history of 20th century flower hunting. Praise for John and Mary ‘The assiduous Gribbins have uncovered much splendid detail’ The Independent ‘Sharp, vest-pocket sketches of a dozen intrepid plant collectors by the veteran popular-science team’ Kirkus Reviews