THE WARDIAN CASE Luke Keogh

This wellresearched and definitive work on the evolution and use of the Wardian case, a wooden glazed box that enabled mankind to transport plants around the world predominantly in the age of sail and steam, provides a vivid and highly readable account of its evolution and the people, plants and places involved in over a century of endeavour. A tour de force for anyone interested in the history of horticulture. Kew/University of Chicago Press, £25.