Green Gold combines meticulous research with the fictional narrative of plant hunter John Jeffrey’s lost journals, revealing an extraordinary adventure.
In 1850 young Scottish plant hunter John Jeffrey is despatched by an elite group of Victorian subscribers to seek highly-prized exotic tree species in North America. An early letter home tells of a 1,200-mile transcontinental journey on foot.
Later, tantalising botanical samples arrive from British Columbia, Oregon and California, yet early promise soon withers. Three and a half years after setting out, John Jeffrey disappears without a trace.
Was he lost to love, violence or the Gold Rush?
Green Gold: The Epic True Story of Victorian Plant Hunter John Jeffrey. Published with Unbound in spring 2019. ISBN: 9781789650235
“a wonderful book! . . . a really remarkable combination of research, detective work, botanical expertise and imaginative writing.”
Fiona Stafford, Professor of English at Oxford University and author
“. . . a masterly told story of a noble quest against fearsome challenges . . .”
Michael Layland, for The Ormsby Review
Available in paperback and ebook from all good bookshops, including Bookshop and Amazon.
A limited number of signed copies are also available direct from the author. Visit my shop.