`A fabulously rich, anecdotal & gripping account of those men & women who ventured out from Britain into the swamps & jungles of the tropics in search, knowingly or not, of the missing link. Through their stoical-sometimes crack-brained-voyages, the shape of the world, geographically & biologically, was elucidated. Never have more significant journeys been made... Enthusiastic, informed & racy, this is one of the most invigorating accounts of the exploits of people from an age whose intrepidity is staggering`. ` Peter Raby`s book follows a disparate crew of botanists, scientists & collectors, who tried to order the earthly paradise which unfolded around them. Entrepreneurs they may have been
- many were dependent on selling their specimens to finance their trips
- but they were also scrupulous & sensitive observers... Raby finds some shimmering, personalities... His book is excellent`
- ” Daily Telegraph”.