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Review ------ "A sumptuous guide to 600 of the world’s weirdest and most beautiful species, from the black seed with hair like Donald Trump to pinhead-sized orchid ." (The Guardian) "The book drives home the incredible botanical wealth that is found on our precious blue planet." (The English Garden) "'The Book of is a stunning compendium of one of nature's finest creations" (The Big Issue) "A thorough and detailed book that gives a better understanding of the miracle of ." (The Chatty Gardener) "Weird and wonderful. This is the bible of ." (Country & Town House) "A compelling account of one of the fundamentals of the ecology of our planet. Although written by experts, the writing is clear and accessible to the general reader." (Gardens Illustrated) "At last, conclusive evidence that the best things in life are wrapped up in small packages! This essential reference reveals the variety and importance of to an extent never seen before." (Period Ideas) "Whoever dreamed up this idea is a genius. The Book of is a thing of great beauty that will appeal to cooks and gardeners alike. This stunningly illustrated book features a seed from around the world on every page, d so that you can view each in extraordinary detail and with a life-size version alongside." (The Daily Mail) About the Author ---------------- Dr Paul Smith is the Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, a not-for-profit organization that promotes conservation in botanic gardens. He is the former Head of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank (MSB)–the largest and most diverse seed bank in the world. During the last five years, Paul and his team have promoted the concept of seed banks as a resource for human innovation, adaptation, and resilience, and today from the MSB and its partner seed banks are being used in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and habitat restoration. Paul trained as a ecologist and is a spet in the s and vegetation of southern Africa. He is the author of two field guides to the flora of south-central Africa and the Atlas of the Vegetation of Madacar (Kew). He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society and the Royal Geographical Society.