A Naturalist in Western China with Vasculum, Camera and Gun. 2 Volume Set

A Naturalist in Western China with Vasculum, Camera and Gun Being Some Account of Eleven Years’ Travel

One of a series of paperback re-issues of first or otherwise key editions of important historical works. Part of the Cambridge Library Collection – Life Sciences Series.

Ernest Henry Wilson (1876–1930) was introduced to China in 1899 when, as a promising young botanist, he was sent there by horticulturalist Henry Veitch (1840–1924) to collect the seed of the handkerchief tree, Davidia involucrata, for propagation in Britain. Subsequent trips saw Wilson bringing back hundreds of seed samples and plant collections, introducing many Chinese plants to Europe and North America. He wrote extensively about his travels in China: this two-volume work was published in 1913. Although much of the text is concerned with plant life, Wilson also gives a great deal of attention to the wider landscape around him. In addition, Wilson took a camera, and these volumes contain photographs of parts of China rarely seen by Europeans in the early twentieth century. In Volume 1 he discusses his journey through China and in Volume 2 describes the Chinese use of plants in medicine and agriculture.