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American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic
Finalist for the 2018 National Book Award for Nonfiction
A New York Times Editors' Choice Selection
The untold story of Hamilton’s—and Burr’s—personal physician, whose dream to build America’s first botanical garden inspired the young Republic.On a clear morning in July 1804, Alexander Hamilton stepped onto a boat at the edge of the Hudson River. He was bound for a New Jersey dueling ground to settle his bitter dispute with Aaron Burr. Hamilton took just two men with his “second” for the duel, and Dr. David Hosack.
As historian Victoria Johnson reveals in her groundbreaking biography, Hosack was one of the few points the duelists did agree on. Summoned that morning because of his role as the beloved Hamilton family doctor, he was also a close friend of Burr. A brilliant surgeon and a world-class botanist, Hosack—who until now has been lost in the fog of history—was a pioneering thinker who shaped a young nation.
Born in New York City, he was educated in Europe and returned to America inspired by his newfound knowledge. He assembled a plant collection so spectacular and diverse that it amazes botanists today, conducted some of the first pharmaceutical research in the United States, and introduced new surgeries to America. His tireless work championing public health and science earned him national fame and praise from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander von Humboldt, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
One goal drove Hosack above all to build the Republic’s first botanical garden. Despite innumerable obstacles and near-constant resistance, Hosack triumphed when, by 1810, his Elgin Botanic Garden at last crowned twenty acres of Manhattan farmland. “Where others saw real estate and power, Hosack saw the landscape as a pharmacopoeia able to bring medicine into the modern age” (Eric W. Sanderson, author of Mannahatta). Today what remains of America’s first botanical garden lies in the heart of midtown, buried beneath Rockefeller Center.
Whether collecting specimens along the banks of the Hudson River, lecturing before a class of rapt medical students, or breaking the fever of a young Philip Hamilton, David Hosack was an American visionary who has been too long forgotten. Alongside other towering figures of the post-Revolutionary generation, he took the reins of a nation. In unearthing the dramatic story of his life, Johnson offers a lush depiction of the man who gave a new voice to the powers and perils of nature.
A New York Times Editors' Choice Selection
The untold story of Hamilton’s—and Burr’s—personal physician, whose dream to build America’s first botanical garden inspired the young Republic.On a clear morning in July 1804, Alexander Hamilton stepped onto a boat at the edge of the Hudson River. He was bound for a New Jersey dueling ground to settle his bitter dispute with Aaron Burr. Hamilton took just two men with his “second” for the duel, and Dr. David Hosack.
As historian Victoria Johnson reveals in her groundbreaking biography, Hosack was one of the few points the duelists did agree on. Summoned that morning because of his role as the beloved Hamilton family doctor, he was also a close friend of Burr. A brilliant surgeon and a world-class botanist, Hosack—who until now has been lost in the fog of history—was a pioneering thinker who shaped a young nation.
Born in New York City, he was educated in Europe and returned to America inspired by his newfound knowledge. He assembled a plant collection so spectacular and diverse that it amazes botanists today, conducted some of the first pharmaceutical research in the United States, and introduced new surgeries to America. His tireless work championing public health and science earned him national fame and praise from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander von Humboldt, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
One goal drove Hosack above all to build the Republic’s first botanical garden. Despite innumerable obstacles and near-constant resistance, Hosack triumphed when, by 1810, his Elgin Botanic Garden at last crowned twenty acres of Manhattan farmland. “Where others saw real estate and power, Hosack saw the landscape as a pharmacopoeia able to bring medicine into the modern age” (Eric W. Sanderson, author of Mannahatta). Today what remains of America’s first botanical garden lies in the heart of midtown, buried beneath Rockefeller Center.
Whether collecting specimens along the banks of the Hudson River, lecturing before a class of rapt medical students, or breaking the fever of a young Philip Hamilton, David Hosack was an American visionary who has been too long forgotten. Alongside other towering figures of the post-Revolutionary generation, he took the reins of a nation. In unearthing the dramatic story of his life, Johnson offers a lush depiction of the man who gave a new voice to the powers and perils of nature.
471 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2018
464 people are currently reading
4843 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Johnson
3 books32 followersVictoria Johnson loves history, gardens, and opera. She earned her undergraduate degree in philosophy at Yale and her doctorate in sociology at Columbia. She teaches on the history of philanthropy, the arts, the natural environment, and New York City at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Her latest book, AMERICAN EDEN, is a biography of the doctor at the Hamilton-Burr duel, David Hosack, a pioneering physician and botanist. Hosack's botanical garden, the first in the new Republic, is now buried under Rockefeller Center.
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August 25, 2025
With a fondness for history, urban planning, gardening, and the landscape that encapsulates New York City, it comes as no surprise that Professor Victoria Johnson would set her sights on early-nineteenth century botanist David Hosack. Acquainted with the likes of such monumental figures as Jefferson and Hamilton and occasionally referred to as the “Joseph Banks of America,” it’s fortunate that Hosack’s intrigue, esteem, and contributions have finally been given the historical attention deserved with Johnson’s biography. In a long-winded yet exact Prologue, Johnson highlights all of the botanist’s accomplishments and gifts to the Early U.S. Republic—indeed, the world—and presents a stunning list of achievements and advancements that people from all walks of life can admire.
The first chapter introduces Hosack’s childhood spent in New York during the final years of the Revolutionary War, tracking the changes already taking place with the new nation’s politics and factions, as well as the youth’s fascination with science, medicine, and specifically human cadaver dissections—a practice considered taboo even by late-eighteenth Enlightenment standards. It’s evident early on that Johnson appropriately uses an abundance of sources to chronicle and pinpoint every detail of Hosack’s life, listing important dates, historical events, and monumental figures that coincide with the future botanist’s tutelage and upbringing. Indeed, while being mentored and taught medicine by none other than the famed Benjamin Rush, Hosack would find himself graduating from Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and later abroad at the famed University of Edinburgh, where he would tour and closely study the castle’s botanical gardens.
Throughout the text, Johnson provides an abundance of illustrations that showcase portraits, documents, and historic buildings alike; these are extremely useful and helpful as they typically connect the given subject or event being discussed. Endnotes are yet another prominent (and highly welcome) addition at the conclusion of each chapter, briefing the reader on unique and random facts pertaining to Hosack’s life and world around him. After two years abroad where he worked alongside Sir Joseph Banks and even presented in front of the Royal Society of London, Hosack finally returned home to his wife Kitty—a bittersweet moment Johnson relates, as the two had lost their only newborn during his studies abroad.
Sadly, the two would share a short-lived marriage together, as Kitty along with their second newborn would die in childbirth soon after. At this dreary point, Johnson follows Hosack’s devotion to both teaching and medicine; focusing his students on the benefits of botany and nature, as well as the attention and memorization needed for confidently administering a woman in labor. Remarrying a year and a half later in 1797 to Marry Eddy Wistar, the next chapters are filled with Hosack’s pursuit and construction of his famed botanical garden, and numerous meetings and conversations with the likes of DeWitt Clinton, Humboldt, Charles Willson Peale, Benjamin Smith Barton, and Aaron Burr—the latter regrettably leaving a lasting toll on both Hosack and Hamilton:
The dueling ground itself was on a rocky ledge higher up the hillside, and Hamilton and Pendleton disappeared into the bushes, leaving Hosack behind. He waited. Within minutes, a shot rang out. After several tense seconds, he heard another shot and then a panicked cry. Pendleton was shouting for him. He dashed into the underbrush and up to the ledge. He was shocked by what he saw: Pendleton was crouching on the ground, cradling Hamilton in his arms. The expression on Hamilton’s face instantly burned itself into Hosack’s memory. Until his own dying day, he later said, he would never forget that “countenance of death.” As Hosack rushed past Burr to get to Hamilton, Van Ness threw his open umbrella in front of Burr’s face, and they left the dueling ground.
With the seemingly endless amount of fascinating events and unexpected acquaintances coming and going throughout Johnson’s biography, it’s quite pleasing that she portions the chapters into sections with appropriate chapter breaks. Throughout the book, Hosack can be found cataloguing both new and familiar plant species for his arboretum, and one other recurring theme—indeed, rather unusual and humorous—is his always-successful treatment of the scrotum to the delight of his uncomfortable and swollen patients. Johnson uses a wide range of reliable sources to pinpoint both trivial and pivotal moments in Hosack’s active life, all of which are interesting in themselves. For instance, at one point she merely touches on the death of Meriwether Lewis, while following the tracks of some of his long-awaited “Expedition” plant specimens and their accompanying notes to Elgin, Hosack’s botanical garden.
Hosack seems to have been in his prime in the decade following 1810, achieving the sale of his beloved botanical garden to New York, establishing the New-York Historical Society, and being inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London—ranking above the customary “Foreign and Honorary”membership. Indeed, his final gift to posterity would be the construction of his mansion at Hyde Park, where Johnson vividly paints the architecture and landscape of the estate in a by now familiar fashion. Chronicling a life well-fulfilled from 1769 until his death in 1835, American Eden serves as a monument and beacon to David Hosack’s little-known yet exemplary legacy.
The first chapter introduces Hosack’s childhood spent in New York during the final years of the Revolutionary War, tracking the changes already taking place with the new nation’s politics and factions, as well as the youth’s fascination with science, medicine, and specifically human cadaver dissections—a practice considered taboo even by late-eighteenth Enlightenment standards. It’s evident early on that Johnson appropriately uses an abundance of sources to chronicle and pinpoint every detail of Hosack’s life, listing important dates, historical events, and monumental figures that coincide with the future botanist’s tutelage and upbringing. Indeed, while being mentored and taught medicine by none other than the famed Benjamin Rush, Hosack would find himself graduating from Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and later abroad at the famed University of Edinburgh, where he would tour and closely study the castle’s botanical gardens.
Throughout the text, Johnson provides an abundance of illustrations that showcase portraits, documents, and historic buildings alike; these are extremely useful and helpful as they typically connect the given subject or event being discussed. Endnotes are yet another prominent (and highly welcome) addition at the conclusion of each chapter, briefing the reader on unique and random facts pertaining to Hosack’s life and world around him. After two years abroad where he worked alongside Sir Joseph Banks and even presented in front of the Royal Society of London, Hosack finally returned home to his wife Kitty—a bittersweet moment Johnson relates, as the two had lost their only newborn during his studies abroad.
Sadly, the two would share a short-lived marriage together, as Kitty along with their second newborn would die in childbirth soon after. At this dreary point, Johnson follows Hosack’s devotion to both teaching and medicine; focusing his students on the benefits of botany and nature, as well as the attention and memorization needed for confidently administering a woman in labor. Remarrying a year and a half later in 1797 to Marry Eddy Wistar, the next chapters are filled with Hosack’s pursuit and construction of his famed botanical garden, and numerous meetings and conversations with the likes of DeWitt Clinton, Humboldt, Charles Willson Peale, Benjamin Smith Barton, and Aaron Burr—the latter regrettably leaving a lasting toll on both Hosack and Hamilton:
The dueling ground itself was on a rocky ledge higher up the hillside, and Hamilton and Pendleton disappeared into the bushes, leaving Hosack behind. He waited. Within minutes, a shot rang out. After several tense seconds, he heard another shot and then a panicked cry. Pendleton was shouting for him. He dashed into the underbrush and up to the ledge. He was shocked by what he saw: Pendleton was crouching on the ground, cradling Hamilton in his arms. The expression on Hamilton’s face instantly burned itself into Hosack’s memory. Until his own dying day, he later said, he would never forget that “countenance of death.” As Hosack rushed past Burr to get to Hamilton, Van Ness threw his open umbrella in front of Burr’s face, and they left the dueling ground.
With the seemingly endless amount of fascinating events and unexpected acquaintances coming and going throughout Johnson’s biography, it’s quite pleasing that she portions the chapters into sections with appropriate chapter breaks. Throughout the book, Hosack can be found cataloguing both new and familiar plant species for his arboretum, and one other recurring theme—indeed, rather unusual and humorous—is his always-successful treatment of the scrotum to the delight of his uncomfortable and swollen patients. Johnson uses a wide range of reliable sources to pinpoint both trivial and pivotal moments in Hosack’s active life, all of which are interesting in themselves. For instance, at one point she merely touches on the death of Meriwether Lewis, while following the tracks of some of his long-awaited “Expedition” plant specimens and their accompanying notes to Elgin, Hosack’s botanical garden.
Hosack seems to have been in his prime in the decade following 1810, achieving the sale of his beloved botanical garden to New York, establishing the New-York Historical Society, and being inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London—ranking above the customary “Foreign and Honorary”membership. Indeed, his final gift to posterity would be the construction of his mansion at Hyde Park, where Johnson vividly paints the architecture and landscape of the estate in a by now familiar fashion. Chronicling a life well-fulfilled from 1769 until his death in 1835, American Eden serves as a monument and beacon to David Hosack’s little-known yet exemplary legacy.
November 29, 2019
This is a great view of medical science/practice/botany/pharmacology in the early Republic, and it illustrates how important science was to the founding and next generation. You know, before willful ignorance became popular.
October 2, 2018
I found the audiobook for this National Book Award non-fiction title on #Hoopla. David Hosack was an important scientist and physician in the early days of the country. He fought tirelessly to establish a botanical garden for medicinal and other scientific purposes in NYC. While very well-researched and well-written, the book is a little unfocused and often goes off on side jaunts into other historical figures of the time period (Hamilton, Burr).
December 17, 2018
Interesting bio of Dr. Hosack and his goal of establishing a botanic garden in new york. Definitely an interesting lens through which to view early american history, however, it did feel unfocused at times and also some of the material was a bit dry. Worth a borrow from the library, though.
December 6, 2021
Excellent and so interesting.
January 12, 2019
I listened to this book on a long road trip this week, and I was vacillating between giving this 3 or 4 stars. I found the story delightful and profound, and learned so much about plants, history, and the creation of the United States as we know it; however, it was pretty meticulously executed and drawn out in ways I cannot imagine getting through without the intonations of my audiobook narrator. If you love history, science, stories of our founding fathers, and the Latin names of plants (lots and lots of Latin names), definitely give this book a read, or in my case, a listen.
June 21, 2018
If you are into history especially medical history. This is the book for you. I learned so many fascinating facts about American medicine from this book. I’ve never actually taken the time to consider how medical advances are made but this book explains a lot about what was happening in the early 1800s in the medical field.
April 3, 2019
It has literally taken me almost a year to finish this, but all I can say is that a.) I lost it for eight months and b.) it was so brilliantly wonderful I didn’t want it to be over.
A vivid, flowing work on David Hosack and the birth of American Botany.
A vivid, flowing work on David Hosack and the birth of American Botany.
July 27, 2018
My father enjoyed and suggested I read this biography of a doctor and botanist in the early republic of the USA.
September 21, 2018
American Eden by Victoria Johnson is about a long forgotten American hero of the early Republic. David Hosack (1769-1835) was both a scientist and a dreamer. He was also an indefatigable doer and a practical man, in most respects. He studied botany and medicine and though he wasn’t overtly political, he knew the leading politicians of his day, including Rush, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Burr. (He was a “second” at their duel.) He also knew Charles Willson Peale and his children Rembrandt, Raphaelle and Titian! Hosack also knew explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt and William Bartram It often seems as though anyone who was anyone knew. Davvid Hosaack back then. He not only knew all these people (all right, men), for many he was also their doctor. In short (the book isn’t short) he was a man of many talents and accomplishments.
This bio is clear and straightforward. It’s a by-the-book bio, pretty much traversing a birth-to-death timeline. And Johnson is right to try and restore Hosack’s name, if not luster. And yet the book most comes alive whenever someone like Hamilton or Burr shows up. I would gladly shelve reading about Hosack’s quest for a botanical garden in America in exchange for more pages devoted to Aaron Burr!
This book is especially valuable to those who like to read about Early America, about the history of New York City (30 Rock now sits on where Hosack laid out his Elgin Botanic Garden), and about the roots of the environmental movement.
This bio got me to thinking about the contest between New York City and Philadelphia for early America’s soul. Would our country be different today if Philly had won that battle?
This bio is clear and straightforward. It’s a by-the-book bio, pretty much traversing a birth-to-death timeline. And Johnson is right to try and restore Hosack’s name, if not luster. And yet the book most comes alive whenever someone like Hamilton or Burr shows up. I would gladly shelve reading about Hosack’s quest for a botanical garden in America in exchange for more pages devoted to Aaron Burr!
This book is especially valuable to those who like to read about Early America, about the history of New York City (30 Rock now sits on where Hosack laid out his Elgin Botanic Garden), and about the roots of the environmental movement.
This bio got me to thinking about the contest between New York City and Philadelphia for early America’s soul. Would our country be different today if Philly had won that battle?
August 9, 2018
In this book, Victoria Johnson has brought to life an American hero who conquered New York with his intellect, imagination, and drive.
Here was a man, witness to the most famous duel in our country's history, who refused to choose political sides. He entreated botanists and medical practitioners alike to look upon the natural world as a helpmeet in the healing arts and the color palette to a more fulfilling life.
David Hosack loved America and believed New York to be the bustling center of arts and sciences that it would eventually become. His work was transformational in getting people to see plants for what they were - our great teacher.
Johnson's writing is engaging, humorous, and educational. As a botanic librarian, I owe many thanks to this author for revealing my new hero and bringing to light his priceless and indelible work.
Here was a man, witness to the most famous duel in our country's history, who refused to choose political sides. He entreated botanists and medical practitioners alike to look upon the natural world as a helpmeet in the healing arts and the color palette to a more fulfilling life.
David Hosack loved America and believed New York to be the bustling center of arts and sciences that it would eventually become. His work was transformational in getting people to see plants for what they were - our great teacher.
Johnson's writing is engaging, humorous, and educational. As a botanic librarian, I owe many thanks to this author for revealing my new hero and bringing to light his priceless and indelible work.
July 21, 2018
really enjoyed this. Had no idea one of our first botanical gardens was located where rockefeller center is now. Lots of interesting characters and historical events framed in a different perspective, with medicine and botany taking central roles.bit depressing that the garden didnt really get its due, but an enjoyable read
May 8, 2018
American Eden is a well-researched, readable, compelling history of the life of David Hosack. His life provides an engrossing narrative including descriptions of botany, medicine and political networks in the young United States.
June 10, 2018
American Eden is the story of Dr. Hosack a doctor who believed botany and the study of plants would help medicine. In the late 1700's and 1800's he created a garden in what is now Rockefeller Center. He was doctor to A Hamilton and A Burr. This biography is well worth reading.
July 8, 2018
The birth of a nation and one New York City botanist/doctor who dedicated his life to putting medicine and botanical science on a par with the Old World
December 3, 2023
4.5 STARS
I am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this work! Johnson not only researched Hosack's life extremely well, but he also presented the information in such an entertaining and rich fashion!
I loved seeing Hosack's career unfold, not just in the Early Republic of America, but also across the seas in England. He was a true pioneer in botany and medicine that has shaped America today. Reading about how much he cared for his family, friends, and nation was the most inspiring of all for me! His dedication despite all his setbacks made me truly emotionally attached with all the highs and lows that were recorded.
If you are interested in science, botany, medicine, and/or politics, then this book is worth the read!
I am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this work! Johnson not only researched Hosack's life extremely well, but he also presented the information in such an entertaining and rich fashion!
I loved seeing Hosack's career unfold, not just in the Early Republic of America, but also across the seas in England. He was a true pioneer in botany and medicine that has shaped America today. Reading about how much he cared for his family, friends, and nation was the most inspiring of all for me! His dedication despite all his setbacks made me truly emotionally attached with all the highs and lows that were recorded.
If you are interested in science, botany, medicine, and/or politics, then this book is worth the read!
July 9, 2024
An excellent non-fiction account of a figure who was not involved in politics during the American Revolution, but was very involved in medicine, botany & natural science. Although he was not directly involved in politics, he was friends with Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and other important people of his time.
Read
May 24, 2019Audio. DNF. I was just so bored.
September 13, 2020
Stunning biography of botanist and physician David Hosack (1769-1835).
October 4, 2025
Well researched long read on David Hosack and America's awakening to horticulture and botany.
November 17, 2019
Benjamin Rush, a most respected Revolutionary Era physician, psychiatrist, chemist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence was also an avid abolitionist. He proposed, and convinced Jefferson, that Americans should plant sugar maple trees for maple syrup as a way to end Americans' "dependence" (does anyone really 'need' sugar?) on cane sugar grown and harvested with the labor of enslaved persons in the West Indies. Many Quakers and other Abolitionists followed in his footsteps and boycotted cane sugar, cotton, coffee, and tobacco - products grown with enslaved labor.
Johnson fills her book, which focuses on the life of mostly forgotten David Hosack, with fascinating history of Revolutionary Era United States. Hosack was a physician who recognized the importance of plants for medicinal purposes and collected and grew and impressive array of plants - painstakingly lobbying and creating what would become the Elgin Botanical Gardens - only to live to see them plowed under to make way for Columbia College and later Rockefeller Center yay capitalism. Hosack was the doctor both Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton chose to accompany them to their duel after Hosack had miraculously saved Hamilton's young son Phillip from a fever that was killing other Philadelphia residents. While respected physicians like Rush were still bloodletting, Hosack was appreciating the value of a fever and sweating out viruses, and also using quinine bark and other plants to treat illnesses successfully during the great Yellow Fever and other outbreaks.
Also - who knew castor oil was originally made from expressed beaver anal glands - ewwwwww.
Despite the fascinating tidbits, too much of Johnson's book is fascinating tidbits - not drawn together well. Ostensibly a biography of Hosack, she veers off into so many other interesting stories of Hamilton, Jefferson, Rush, Washington Madison all the other important founding fathers he interacted with and sometimes it feels like the threads don't all come back together. Like someone who has done a ton of research and has tons of facts she can't bear to let go and wants to include, but they don't all really weave into a readable account. Although I am most envious of Hosack's 4,000-5,000 volume library. And I am a total nerd so I enjoyed a lot of the interesting historical tidbits. But it takes patience to read - if you're not a history buff it may not be the book for you.
Johnson fills her book, which focuses on the life of mostly forgotten David Hosack, with fascinating history of Revolutionary Era United States. Hosack was a physician who recognized the importance of plants for medicinal purposes and collected and grew and impressive array of plants - painstakingly lobbying and creating what would become the Elgin Botanical Gardens - only to live to see them plowed under to make way for Columbia College and later Rockefeller Center yay capitalism. Hosack was the doctor both Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton chose to accompany them to their duel after Hosack had miraculously saved Hamilton's young son Phillip from a fever that was killing other Philadelphia residents. While respected physicians like Rush were still bloodletting, Hosack was appreciating the value of a fever and sweating out viruses, and also using quinine bark and other plants to treat illnesses successfully during the great Yellow Fever and other outbreaks.
Also - who knew castor oil was originally made from expressed beaver anal glands - ewwwwww.
Despite the fascinating tidbits, too much of Johnson's book is fascinating tidbits - not drawn together well. Ostensibly a biography of Hosack, she veers off into so many other interesting stories of Hamilton, Jefferson, Rush, Washington Madison all the other important founding fathers he interacted with and sometimes it feels like the threads don't all come back together. Like someone who has done a ton of research and has tons of facts she can't bear to let go and wants to include, but they don't all really weave into a readable account. Although I am most envious of Hosack's 4,000-5,000 volume library. And I am a total nerd so I enjoyed a lot of the interesting historical tidbits. But it takes patience to read - if you're not a history buff it may not be the book for you.
August 15, 2018
American Eden is the story of David Hosack (August 31, 1769 – December 22, 1835), a botanist and doctor in New York City in the late 18th – early 19th centuries. I admit, I was drawn to the book at first because he was the doctor at the duel between Hamilton and Burr. (I have not seen Hamilton the musical yet, but it’s coming to Pittsburgh in January if anyone wants to buy me tickets.) Turns out he was a truly influential man, an innovative doctor, a visionary, but he stayed out of politics which is probably why we don’t recognize his name. He knew a lot of politicians however, and we learn some interesting bits about who supported who.
Hosack’s loves were botany and medicine and how they intersected. Honestly he seems like a good guy. He wanted to help people, not just the rich and famous, but the regular people too. I’m sad that his gorgeous Elgin Gardens ended up abandoned and eventually plowed. Where it was now stands the Rockefeller Center. I guess there’s a plaque somewhere in Hosack’s honor, but of course when I was in New York I had never heard of him, so didn’t look for it. (Maybe an excuse to go back?)
While we learn about Hosack’s life we also learn bits about the other famous men of history, like Jefferson, Hamilton, Burr, and DeWitt Clinton – who was a champion of the Erie Canal which I read about in another book recently. It’s an interesting book, part history, part science, well-researched, and enjoyable to read. I actually to the audio, which worked well for me. The narrator blended in to the story well and, in all honesty, it was probably a little easier to listen to some of the plant listings than read them in print.
I was listening to the book the other day when I was taking a walk. Happily no one saw me, because Hoscak’s death had me in tears. He was truly admired by his contemporaries, which shines through in the book. I like that at the end Johnson ties Hosack’s accomplishments to the modern day, both through his medical advances and his students’, but also through America’s love of gardening, including household gardens.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys biographies of historical figures. Johnson brings the people, places, and plants to life. Even though there’s a lot of information, it’s easy to read.
Hosack’s loves were botany and medicine and how they intersected. Honestly he seems like a good guy. He wanted to help people, not just the rich and famous, but the regular people too. I’m sad that his gorgeous Elgin Gardens ended up abandoned and eventually plowed. Where it was now stands the Rockefeller Center. I guess there’s a plaque somewhere in Hosack’s honor, but of course when I was in New York I had never heard of him, so didn’t look for it. (Maybe an excuse to go back?)
While we learn about Hosack’s life we also learn bits about the other famous men of history, like Jefferson, Hamilton, Burr, and DeWitt Clinton – who was a champion of the Erie Canal which I read about in another book recently. It’s an interesting book, part history, part science, well-researched, and enjoyable to read. I actually to the audio, which worked well for me. The narrator blended in to the story well and, in all honesty, it was probably a little easier to listen to some of the plant listings than read them in print.
I was listening to the book the other day when I was taking a walk. Happily no one saw me, because Hoscak’s death had me in tears. He was truly admired by his contemporaries, which shines through in the book. I like that at the end Johnson ties Hosack’s accomplishments to the modern day, both through his medical advances and his students’, but also through America’s love of gardening, including household gardens.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys biographies of historical figures. Johnson brings the people, places, and plants to life. Even though there’s a lot of information, it’s easy to read.
April 26, 2019
You’ve probably never heard of Dr. David Hosack - I certainly had not, before hearing about this book - and you should! A botanist, doctor, and all-around good citizen and do-gooder (though he was racist and owned slaves, a point I was glad the author did not shy away from discussing), Hosack was a close friend and colleague of all the major players in the early days of the United States. Perhaps his biggest draw for a modern post-Hamilton-the-musical audience will be the fact that he was the doctor who attended Hamilton in his dying moments, but Hosack’s larger legacy lies in his tireless crusade to bring botanical science and botanical gardens to America in the early days of the young nation (I couldn’t help hearing Miranda’s lyrics every time this book used a phrase like that...). Botany and medicine were synonymous until very recent times, and Hosack’s efforts to explore, document, and grow the plants of the U.S. were essential for developing the medical expertise of the country and making us comparable to our European conunterparts in various scientific fields. This book did a great job covering Hosack’s life and the lives of his famous contemporaries; at times, and especially towards the end, I did feel that she was racing along and jumping vast swaths of time with little detail given, but I suppose that’s a tradeoff when writing about a potentially dry topic like the history of botanical gardens in the U.S. I learned a tremendous amount from this book, including about numerous players in early American history and what life would have been like in New York City in those days. Fascinating all around.
February 5, 2019
My nephew gave me this book for Christmas and he chose well, this book has many things that I like to read about such as medical history, botany, & early American history.
David Hosack was a fascinating person who was interested in ways to help build communities and improve lives; he was primarily interested in using plants to help alleviate the suffering of his patients and he promoted the idea of a community botanical garden. He interacted with many well known people from that era: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Dewitt Clinton, Benjamin Rush, and many others. In telling Hosack's story, the author gave an idea of what life was like in the United States at this time, particularly in NY City and NY State. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
David Hosack was a fascinating person who was interested in ways to help build communities and improve lives; he was primarily interested in using plants to help alleviate the suffering of his patients and he promoted the idea of a community botanical garden. He interacted with many well known people from that era: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Dewitt Clinton, Benjamin Rush, and many others. In telling Hosack's story, the author gave an idea of what life was like in the United States at this time, particularly in NY City and NY State. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
January 23, 2019
This . . book . . . was. . . exhausting, and I didn’t even physically read it. I listened to it on Hoopla. I agree with other reviews pointing out how unfocused it is. It could have been two separate books.
Cons: Lists on lists of Latin plant species names and grotesque explanations of early medical procedures
Pros: The third party perspective of the American Revolution actors and events. Hosack was the doctor to many of the founding fathers
Cons: Lists on lists of Latin plant species names and grotesque explanations of early medical procedures
Pros: The third party perspective of the American Revolution actors and events. Hosack was the doctor to many of the founding fathers
October 23, 2024
According to her bio Victoria Johnson is an associate professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College in New York City. She teaches on the history of philanthropy, nonprofits, and New York City. That explains a fair amount about why this particular book was written. It is a somewhat interesting biography of David Hosack one of those late 18th/early 19th century persons, part polymath, physician, botanist, businessman, philanthropist. The book is a sort of Who's Who of the elites of that period (especially those with an interest in Botany) and Hosack seemed to have some connection with a large number of them--American, British, French, German. That list included the great Alexander von Humboldt although they never met in person as Humboldt cut short his U.S. trip before visiting New York. In fact, Hosack was born the same year, 1769, as von Humboldt and Napoleon Bonaparte. In some ways the book ends up being something of a Page 6 (the NY Post gossip column) of the period, perhaps not fair but it occurred to me. Hosack's most famous moment was to be the attending doctor to Alexander Hamilton at the infamous Burr duel in 1804. Still hard to imagine that the sitting VP of the United State shot a guy over a political dispute! Although many seem to want their opponent dead even today. Somehow, Hosack was able to stay clear of the bitter political divide and go about his business of being a doctor and a botanist. He was deeply interested in collecting and cataloguing North American flora and the medicinal properties of plants. Hence, much of the book is consumed with Hosack's drive to create the first botanical garden in New York and perhaps the country (although Philly seemed to have some early entrants). He called it the Elgin Botanical Garden (named after a place in Scotland) and it was located in what is today midtown Manhattan (right about where Rockefeller Center is today!). There is a lot of reference to botanical terms and the Linnean system of biological identification, there might a good book out there on how that debate was conducted. In addition, it serves as a decent entry in the history of New York City. Despite that, overall I'd say 2.5 stars, rounded up--while interesting at times it was well short of a riveting read.
Reading a lot of books has also led to my own discovery of the wide variety of book prizes that are handed out each year, often in some obscure niches (though perhaps not obscure to the people competing). 'American Eden' was actually nominated for several quite prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for History (2019) and the National Book Award for Non-fiction (2019). It was also short listed for the Cundill History Prize, one I had never heard of. Started in 2008, it is given (along with $75k) 'to recognize and promote literary and academic achievement in history and is presented annually to an author who has published a non-fiction book in the prior year that is likely to have profound literary, social, and academic impact in the area of history'. You can find some great reads on that list! https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/.... She did not win that one either but she DID win the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Book Prize (CCL) which is awarded by the Center for Cultural Landscapes to the author of a book published within the past three years on a subject pertaining to landscape studies. And there are some interesting reads on that list too..https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/.... Note to self and world--this prize is NOT to be confused with The John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize (AAG) which is given by the Association of American Geographers to recognize American geographers who write serious but popular books about the human geography of the contemporary United States. Which also has some interesting reads: https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/.... Too many awards and not enough time!
Reading a lot of books has also led to my own discovery of the wide variety of book prizes that are handed out each year, often in some obscure niches (though perhaps not obscure to the people competing). 'American Eden' was actually nominated for several quite prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for History (2019) and the National Book Award for Non-fiction (2019). It was also short listed for the Cundill History Prize, one I had never heard of. Started in 2008, it is given (along with $75k) 'to recognize and promote literary and academic achievement in history and is presented annually to an author who has published a non-fiction book in the prior year that is likely to have profound literary, social, and academic impact in the area of history'. You can find some great reads on that list! https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/.... She did not win that one either but she DID win the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Book Prize (CCL) which is awarded by the Center for Cultural Landscapes to the author of a book published within the past three years on a subject pertaining to landscape studies. And there are some interesting reads on that list too..https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/.... Note to self and world--this prize is NOT to be confused with The John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize (AAG) which is given by the Association of American Geographers to recognize American geographers who write serious but popular books about the human geography of the contemporary United States. Which also has some interesting reads: https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/.... Too many awards and not enough time!
November 17, 2019
In “American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden Of the Early Republic” author Victoria Johnson presents a compelling history, lyrically told, of the late 17th to early 18th Century in America. This beautiful history spans the adult life of Dr. David Hosack, a physician and Botanist whose name, until now, has been all but lost in the American consciousness. But In one volume, Johnson resurrects the memory of this amazing man who changed the face of medicine, pharmacology, and Botany while also being central in building academic, scientific, medical, and social institutions in New York City. Hosack did all this while maintaining a busy clinical and academic medical practice.
But Hosack’s preeminent achievement was the Elgin Botanical Garden, which grew out of Hosack’s fertile mind and rich imagination and his desire to help mankind. Johnson weaves the story of this Garden saga while retracing the political, social, artistic, and medical-scientific history that was being made at the time. And all the while, Dr. Hosack was in the midst of it. Hosack was a correspondent of Presidents Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. He was a close friend to Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. In fact, Hosack was the medical attendant in Weehawken, New Jersey at the duel between Hamilton and Burr—the duel in which Hamilton purposefully wasted his shot while Burr’s found its target. Hosack was at Hamilton’s bedside when he passed.
This book was a complete delight to read. Johnson is a talented writer. I hope this is not her last project because reading this history is like reading an early book of popular historian, David McCullough’s. High praise indeed, but well deserved. Happy reading.
But Hosack’s preeminent achievement was the Elgin Botanical Garden, which grew out of Hosack’s fertile mind and rich imagination and his desire to help mankind. Johnson weaves the story of this Garden saga while retracing the political, social, artistic, and medical-scientific history that was being made at the time. And all the while, Dr. Hosack was in the midst of it. Hosack was a correspondent of Presidents Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. He was a close friend to Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. In fact, Hosack was the medical attendant in Weehawken, New Jersey at the duel between Hamilton and Burr—the duel in which Hamilton purposefully wasted his shot while Burr’s found its target. Hosack was at Hamilton’s bedside when he passed.
This book was a complete delight to read. Johnson is a talented writer. I hope this is not her last project because reading this history is like reading an early book of popular historian, David McCullough’s. High praise indeed, but well deserved. Happy reading.
December 4, 2021
Finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for History, I felt this book actually deserved the prize more than did the actual winner about Frederick Douglass. This was truly original territory, which the Douglasss book is not. David Hosack contributed more to the development of America than did Benjamin Franklin in every effort he made. But we do not hear of him because he was not involved in politics. Perhaps that is the same reason the highly political Douglass fared better with the highly political Pulitzer Committee than the far-reaching Hosack.
Hosack's story reads better than fiction with elements of joy counterpointed with tragedy. Achievement with loss. International fame and local obscurity. And, yet, Hosack's contribution reverberates even today in America, reflected in the millions of home gardens, urban apiaries, and the current move today to preserve heirloom species of plants, particularly vegetables, maintaining biodiversity and seeking to prevent the loss of more species caused by mega-farming pressures of monoculture spreading an ever present threat of collapse of the food supply to disease and predation.
Hosack's story reads better than fiction with elements of joy counterpointed with tragedy. Achievement with loss. International fame and local obscurity. And, yet, Hosack's contribution reverberates even today in America, reflected in the millions of home gardens, urban apiaries, and the current move today to preserve heirloom species of plants, particularly vegetables, maintaining biodiversity and seeking to prevent the loss of more species caused by mega-farming pressures of monoculture spreading an ever present threat of collapse of the food supply to disease and predation.
February 6, 2025
I listened to a podcast a few months back that the author - Victoria Johnson - spoke about this book and David Hosack. She was brilliant in the podcast and I love listening to brilliant people talk about their passions, so picking this book up moved to the top of my list.
With that said, I have read dozens of books about early America and I can't remember any of them mentioning the name David Hosack. Turns out he is one of those famous Americans whom history forgets as time moves along (not unlike Benjamin Rush in many ways - who makes appearances in this book), but in his life he was famous in many countries and connected to all of the important people of the era. A fascinating figure and the book did an outstanding job looking at his life. The focus of the story was on his work as a botanist - and as a physician - but it is also a history of the major figures of botany for America a much of England and France. If you love early America, especially historic New York City, this is a must read.
With that said, I have read dozens of books about early America and I can't remember any of them mentioning the name David Hosack. Turns out he is one of those famous Americans whom history forgets as time moves along (not unlike Benjamin Rush in many ways - who makes appearances in this book), but in his life he was famous in many countries and connected to all of the important people of the era. A fascinating figure and the book did an outstanding job looking at his life. The focus of the story was on his work as a botanist - and as a physician - but it is also a history of the major figures of botany for America a much of England and France. If you love early America, especially historic New York City, this is a must read.
January 17, 2024
While it was more detail than I needed, it was a fascinating look into the earliest decades of the United States. Hosack's life intersected with so many more well-known players, from Hamilton to Burr to Jefferson. It was like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for the Hamilton musical. I was especially fascinated with how much the major political players of the day were deeply invested in science, and botany in particular.
My main takeaway from the story, though, was the frustration and fruitfulness of institution-building. If you want a community to thrive and acheivements to last, you have to work with people to build institutions. But that is not a simple, straightforward thing to do, and it is full of setbacks. In the end, you may even feel like you failed, even if future generations are blessed by your work.
My main takeaway from the story, though, was the frustration and fruitfulness of institution-building. If you want a community to thrive and acheivements to last, you have to work with people to build institutions. But that is not a simple, straightforward thing to do, and it is full of setbacks. In the end, you may even feel like you failed, even if future generations are blessed by your work.
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