African Wildlife & Environment Issue 85

GOOD READS

death the Fulham property was bequeathed to his nephew Matthew Burchell, who was William John’s father.The 17th and 18th centuries witnessed the emergence of profitable botanical nurseries, and by 1760 there were more than 100 nursery firms in England, with 40 in London alone.This ‘nation of shopkeepers’ was also a nation of gardeners! Young Burchell was sent to a very good private school where he received an excellent multi disciplinary education, which included writing and drawing skills. After school he worked at both the family nursery and at Kew, becoming an accomplished horticulturist and botanist. At the age of 22 he was elected as a fellow of the prestigious Linnaean Society of London, an extraordinary honour for one so young. He declined an offer to join the family nursery, preferring to travel instead. He got himself to St Helena island where he was first a schoolteacher and later the superintendent of the island’s new botanical garden. His descriptions and copious collections of the St Helena flora were sent back to Kew where they are kept to this day. Burchell saved his earnings carefully and these were supplemented by funds from the profitable family nursery back home. He could thus pay his own way to travel the world, and set off to explore the southern part of Africa on his own. He was now 29 years old, short of African experience but a meticulous planner who commissioned the construction of a special ox wagon for his expedition and spent four years and covered about 7,000 kilometres from the Cape to the southern Kalahari and back. He collected an astonishing assemblage of some 63,000 specimens of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and insects, lodged to this day at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew and at the Oxford Museum of Natural History. A great many of his specimens had not previously been documented for science, and some were named in his honour; think of

Burchell’s Zebra, Burchell’s Coucal, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, and many more. He also produced more than 500 paintings and illustrations and documented his experiences in his famous publication, Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa . When he returned to England he cultivated numerous seeds and bulbs he had collected in South Africa, and these were subsequently spread throughout the world as much-loved and desirable garden plants. The interesting thing is that while the outbound trek is well described in Burchell’s Travels , the challenges and discoveries made on his return journey to Cape Town, from 1812-1815 have not been described, for unknown reasons. In this fine new book, the authors embark on another daunting task - to reveal the homeward leg of Burchell's epic trek from the southern Kalahari via the Karoo and southern coastal belt back to Cape Town. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, including Burchell's letters, his handwritten records and drawings archived at Kew and the detailed map he created to record his trek, the authors have crafted a thought provoking and beautifully illustrated account that encompasses both the genius of the man and the natural history of the region that so intrigued him. This book will delight both bibliophiles and everyone with an interest in the natural history of South Africa. The hardcover, embossed dust jacket, wonderful illustrations and the excellent design, layout and typography make it a lovely thing to hold, behold and spend hours following the footsteps, trials and tribulations of a truly remarkable man who travelled rough and remote tracks and pathways in his ox-wagon where today’s fancy 4x4 vehicles would struggle to traverse. A remarkable book, highly recommended for your bookshelf, and a tribute to the authors and publishers for keeping the spirit of the printed word alive in this fleeting electronic world.

12 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 85 (2024)