SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE FOR BEST PUBLISHED NOVEL 2022
A Telegraph Best Book for Summer 2022
'Highly recommended' MICK HERRON
'A great adventure. Dripping with atmosphere and exotic life' WILLIAM BOYD
'A riveting page-turner, rich with fascinating period detail' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
___________1867. King's Road, Chelsea, is a sea of plant nurseries, catering to the Victorian obsession with rare and exotic flora. But each of the glossy emporiums is fuelled by the dangerous world of the plant hunters – daring adventurers sent into uncharted lands in search of untold wonders to grace England's finest gardens.
Harry Compton is as far from a plant hunter as one could imagine – a salesman plucked from the obscurity of the nursery growing fields to become 'the face that sold a thousand plants'.
But one small act of kindness sees him inherit a precious gift – a specimen of a fabled tree last heard of in The Travels of Marco Polo, and a map.
Seizing his chance for fame and fortune, Harry sets out to make his mark. But where there is wealth there is corruption, and soon Harry is fleeing England, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing up the Yangtze alongside a young widow – both in pursuit of the plant that could transform both their lives forever.
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"It's a great Stevensonian adventure but with a 21st century spin. Harry and Clarissa work really well - wholly believable and sexily engaging. The detail and the textures throughout are exemplary: lightly worn but dripping with atmosphere and exotic life. Really brilliantly achieved." - William Boyd
"An old-fashioned adventure yarn with all the virtues of the genre, The Plant Hunter engages, informs and entertains, while taking the reader to distant, unexpected places. Highly recommended." - Mick Herron
"The Plant Hunter is a feast for the senses and a must for every reader who enjoys great adventure writing. The exuberant life in these pages and the drama of the story along with Mogford's lively engaging writing make this a life-enhancing pleasure to read. Be swept away." - Imogen Robertson
"It's excellent. No other word for it. I found the period and technical detail absolutely fascinating, and the characterisation really convincing. A beautiful, charming book that stays in the mind long after you've closed it and put it away. I was delighted by it." - John Simpson
"An old-fashioned adventure yarn with all the virtues of the genre, The Plant Hunter engages, informs and entertains, while taking the reader to distant, unexpected places. Highly recommended." - Mick Herron
"The Plant Hunter is a feast for the senses and a must for every reader who enjoys great adventure writing. The exuberant life in these pages and the drama of the story along with Mogford's lively engaging writing make this a life-enhancing pleasure to read. Be swept away." - Imogen Robertson
"It's excellent. No other word for it. I found the period and technical detail absolutely fascinating, and the characterisation really convincing. A beautiful, charming book that stays in the mind long after you've closed it and put it away. I was delighted by it." - John Simpson
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Used availability for T L Mogford's The Plant Hunter