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Ebook344 pages7 hours
A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud
By Karl Sabbagh and Adam Nicolson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this ebook
‘An exciting scientific detective story' – Times Literary Supplement
‘A breezy ride . . . informative and amusing' – Washington Post Book World
In the 1940s, the eminent British botanist John Heslop Harrison proposed a controversial theory: that vegetation on the islands off the west coast of Scotland had survived the last Ice Age. His premise flew in the face of what most botanists believed – that no plants had survived the 10,000-year period of extreme cold. But Heslop Harrison had proof – the plants and grasses found on the isle of Rum.
Harrison didn't anticipate, however, an amateur botanist called John Raven, who boldly questioned whether these grasses were truly indigenous to the area, or whether they had been transported there. This is the story of what happened when a tenacious amateur set out to find out the truth, and how he uncovered a most extraordinary fraud.
‘A breezy ride . . . informative and amusing' – Washington Post Book World
In the 1940s, the eminent British botanist John Heslop Harrison proposed a controversial theory: that vegetation on the islands off the west coast of Scotland had survived the last Ice Age. His premise flew in the face of what most botanists believed – that no plants had survived the 10,000-year period of extreme cold. But Heslop Harrison had proof – the plants and grasses found on the isle of Rum.
Harrison didn't anticipate, however, an amateur botanist called John Raven, who boldly questioned whether these grasses were truly indigenous to the area, or whether they had been transported there. This is the story of what happened when a tenacious amateur set out to find out the truth, and how he uncovered a most extraordinary fraud.
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Reviews for A Rum Affair
Rating: 3.7954545454545454 out of 5 stars
4/5
22 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A gripping tale of botanical fraud, and one which prompted me to make a three-day trip to the island described, which was one of the most fascinating experiences I've had in my life. Sabbagh does a remarkable job outlining this complicated story.