Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud
A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud
A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud
Ebook344 pages13 hours

A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A true story of a Scottish isle, an eminent professor, a lie, and an amateur botanist who saw the truth, by the author of Antisemitism Wars.

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.

Praise for A Rum Affair

“A breezy ride . . . informative and amusing.” —Washington Post Book World

“An exciting scientific detective story.” —Times Literary Supplement
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 7, 2016
ISBN9780857909060
A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud

Read more from Karl Sabbagh

Related to A Rum Affair

Related ebooks

Nature For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for A Rum Affair

Rating: 3.8043478826086954 out of 5 stars
4/5

23 ratings1 review

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A 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.

Book preview

A Rum Affair - Karl Sabbagh

ebook_preview_excerpt.html}ɒ$Gݯ8/{RP0H92 wGz|ɨ)?78\WGKS5sp923[tyTO>!O>Oޫ> ~|ox_?}S.%aSMXL]qS 6u}3Vivs!0USCh0E\Cj{}*=aMwi8M=Y6yû յ)qԫBI}po}f[x)4 x[3ױ0C:WuWMTMbcդ0{:5io2n8* G,ƔW^KB~JWx>H^aCG`t69vaSqk]hm_0"?F"tHfa9)w^c*]c ʁAraDi>9=Jc 4> Vl|tҶ0찱Xb=Ʒ )sMFBT߆ihǶ{l1 =F/6ڃÝiH^0JOܷӅK_2<wL:t>Q_t!CP#.{JC:>@f*HKuއ9:^C}Y N¤1Pa(?ϱR1m n֐dja}K8PsmʼnLz&`J* 6`$) }@/50:L,l\\ap٧z 5ŨǺuRZMLZrU˚zsXm_| S[voY SeO?҂9`,u`S g؄C2_47ƣ]4W q?QoQ\X}W 'z0r י`aEf;:O \ s8&X9.8.]Cjm2x3Kne3NCp".0ms6"3Qڵp/"g|wd6>)H߅ 4 |-D+z9QC%;o3A=&%r < Oovo~Ė/p︗ښ(rOP)p;2pAkos4`E=b5q2IK©R 5Tc9ݷ"r:;(i.fbP89>KpsboAq:Œ`i^uj wh#18꛾NxQ;ȏɶ;i&}}ÛrRXuO1@'gC Lɑk6%5Ԝ`si' sf4J5x, -bE\yNng(:fp zP' T T0U(c'O;HAlY뚖,"z*c_sO1+9Ƕ@K0bh3{]ewB5b<~?W/2fSmIրYڂV0wc~w+C#N /I.#]AS k//wN el b qB ޛ:B/"ptlڬ z0 '[[:Ii¡nw:1hŦVXq2}2::&qӔ{ #!CpYhEFE푳k@,0O$D֕tgta6N ܶH̄pJ-5;]}`!;pp=ȯT72,} O\d C)7pxՈdg:_܈GZYck2Ýxs y 7yPˀ_M!!i+amE>ȃF`mS,N/u퀏G[ N;겇_:if"zvGޘkbߙtt9=vY6KevCAd' pXkI8½TvgLſ(z8t&X LLr_}С0WPalz .;ƃM\I˴pv Pbq0+d ԚSߠd @0Vh@- fNe( Tq(,QWۦ|{b0 PФmr? |#ccW$"YHEWasŢo%_ G岸/+C\yQQ k|] `A~oHcОJ\5Lj+ntюL-#St3ٌP n2Y(^*JHrHZ /G u=lyrsU<"!X=GH\R\xGdHMfD2 OTG#h5YAId; =΋4jE'XDi䣯.}J0¢$I4Hpm#€.\d`M f.E>0ƧP?}rd28et51 g I[ʨΖs*O)H,)Fq~>_DwuB2*|"?sM+*90*SV.dUHJ"Yy@N|n.^X0eZ]{ȵaAaH5J!/m |Ô?jCxK gPGo.5ל=%j] +s OB YuJhlnmɆ1zO$TXr&1tpf.RQG)DEAk񂏀1q0݃mqw3K1<`,-z!>@31_,(^y`'=A#x= 4rZжs_E*rE: ˨ĶL;Wi˼)I,#~mrqCIΒ840l~:Tfҽ; 3"^n6h#?-1K ӯ,z.2dS+M)ܲ&u cus n#.ms12!TO2\g^~Ej&p5=:V Q1V2IjCF4rYF>SKzo49PX䡓Y@䊲+lN\"@([@Aʦܺ-~8f!hq^}&'s>;zlBg7tO_6+$2̣'2ayb#px|j݅aR2"(I AbӃy*j,EwI43 aN }u<阍f66ӵcg: *3O0|9n,=z@Zo7W͑;7ޗ29M~F*qgqh@n5h_l63&+yp&(ŇvzWdw!Dt?*Li!f@8S!nICM9T>2>Ȃ!Y93lofvOu<}0pƷ#n,ja=*Ju[^cn{:6K*QC"Ԓi8 M0rC4H$DOc1΋hjnytqca3Qч).b1j8#! @kӌ1 t-!|6j7ng޲fȱKY RMIorͤ9Ǒ4sM9`$X3$E IbaR"X+ );.m¡m\)6@P[ڰlE -K 8~H\1MRcZ@-==p}JsU.Q6}E%غ~=ߐDVc)pT-)BR,Ω Rj%XPgTMte#ui^['Bw. 3dzaq8eaVσB|Hť=cψ+F&I 1JZ#DXqDմ,G5i%ԠPo^UIx)1-dF:--_Z$ngy1mN(*[Zꧤr͒kz[T󽿪 H\`i^G 0f"G%\Ѐ`$f^ U1: 9%ͳ1`^(3O+d%"i БVF ;',TS0eR|#]5f-FZnbOX9C\UIGNq=̯*d!Nb+ۡmcIֶ$T<Stjhlf@Z&sjXjsJۆ_kiY%M#*ڶ}6?8W3-fӘݭP޷jTgUG2A]-7l֌QFs;+dVVdXE@N-sׄhaø1"*=Y4OQY9&c>W^Nk##!0D'?jcST,)a?%O]+y#2"*]fl^ #N@Q.!BT*[FNډɢ$*͒}hhv'۴IB4e9tgkzQ3`*;D% LKp ps$~ڋrY >vM`̽o VR=s$k`aRru+ ')Zg5P};dei2c e>6_4[q1'G&@)ͫ܄dit'#z UɵpȺ.r#,R =n#KQc.Z(cd^n0Z2KҾ)ef?0;D*0i-e*wzN&Ng9MꞬ0Be8}%v< KY$s=:A謟mX[HssO{y(0'3KdA9,Tw*yiYW6C;&w raO^)aZ 'D]l&  h:pR:P\Qs݂V~j,d蛵1tsU3YkJ#~K n&2vhQ]B0ƛ@bA*ͿVqrr0]8-uVt JtT3#*ԓxsU Q١2o:]cZ >STǗ|A<6=BK1 ua(Q.CYXP`YR Sp@qtԹ2Gv. F_b;CY_|ʰ[LHXQ}lwNI0*vیYu_}{8.ߥKaiI)ư Tq[/Bj.%Z^'@ٝf~LfN2g봍]bMa܃WRS\kfLy(ʎ~q@1< *%V}3[@$ qJ:{%?g^6^SR46~%Y~ Y9ϸcGlD[[ ?CSS :V `y,ysP[i7'm+/X9Sr⟝WkTn6KL@a>*EC2m kz^;Ï'KWV vԿb>˄to=V Ma 2[ le?4qi|b12V9r+?dUF9ё=U3 1OiH('wi";MQ؏5c'J*}uM:.Y!TcD65W-0ę[5KB#$ | K[[FKiz`mp9cf=b=#~SwlW/IBUi][mnQoHs̭Vt㪵돀ًԖ~dݚhmp2׹oE~9`[l۪hFN^ ݊iG(C@61 Ox_u9;6[4izna`,oDO#]t[b"޴GKiĎĢ3߿x7S=ik T1 cKģj/^ 4co4 QۂdY/!aGl/ws:z[lxG,5sRwSih?#xe轷V\=mwP𒫊MwV aJ;稓HM|a,R_Rf{}YWs"d.vb1Y3 z>ˌ{-㖽zROolqC`5xK9@k0׊Fr\J'?[Hv7 nWeWȎM뱭idrǴ,Tm]VF@ WghKĂ%Q4eI-\1w9|)>!=nӘG)҆n5KumʓUp4P1>Bi݅кo֌`b$>TZU}1@ <{U%vʎ&Oid\B2 ̷-=+W"MGD9G*u̠6t' *X$+~t4;̡[,5bcQE>Ђ]]gμ^9U>V\Ց@p"}%%`[2ur罣E 9J X<:CΊs*T6psx'BDO`X@U̳V3͋x.;qKuZ\/jSeW2'JLi"YN*fn[/@J\?)v%sȠ"ԠC ڏL(Z ㉨BbO೨ `Z{rFE4Nv*cǰO=ٚ-eeZ'BLi^8^ÃWG ǔ } ŕ4͹Č *&\8qH<1l܉g<*85[3~&#:h'Z.MiR v8v.y).XDhguU {)[x/8Ibd-s1I|݇ꫯ8&G%]oA!hiKPR|!6qUY T؎X)yMzTXtxx)Ճi\4_6w4=Tѱfw%kqZȹXv{vQ]Y.!͈SCCtN4Htb]KUغ2[ qR^߮YNv]}g YUFҡ#ڝh%F%0We7T~ ̃c{%iGٽ}pyvv* )(pwK`,kzaʥbX!* Reux=+hEFjf"Bz>n YMÚm*ZW;NH*Y9
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1