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Sex, Botany, and Empire: The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks
Enlightenment botany was replete with sexual symbolism―to the extent that many botanical textbooks were widely considered pornographic. Carl Linnaeus's controversial new system for classifying plants based on their sexual characteristics, as well as his use of language resonating with erotic allusions, provoked intense public debate over the morality of botanical study. And the renowned Tahitian exploits of Joseph Banks―whose trousers were reportedly stolen while he was inside the tent of Queen Oberea of Tahiti―reinforced scandalous associations with the field. Yet Linnaeus and Banks became powerful political and scientific figures who were able to promote botanical exploration alongside the exploitation of territories, peoples, and natural resources. Sex, Botany, and Empire explores the entwined destinies of these two men and how their influence served both science and imperialism.
Patricia Fara reveals how Enlightenment botany, under the veil of rationality, manifested a drive to conquer, subdue, and deflower―all in the name of British empire. Linnaeus trained his traveling disciples in a double mission―to bring back specimens for the benefit of the Swedish economy and to spread the gospel of Linnaean taxonomy. Based in London at the hub of an international exchange and correspondence network, Banks ensured that Linnaeus's ideas became established throughout the world. As the president of the Royal Society for more than forty years, Banks revolutionized British science, and his innovations placed science at the heart of trade and politics. He made it a policy to collect and control resources not only for the sake of knowledge but also for the advancement of the empire. Although Linnaeus is often celebrated as modern botany's true founder, Banks has had a greater long-term impact. It was Banks who ensured that science and imperialism flourished together, and it was he who first forged the interdependent relationship between scientific inquiry and the state that endures to this day.
Patricia Fara reveals how Enlightenment botany, under the veil of rationality, manifested a drive to conquer, subdue, and deflower―all in the name of British empire. Linnaeus trained his traveling disciples in a double mission―to bring back specimens for the benefit of the Swedish economy and to spread the gospel of Linnaean taxonomy. Based in London at the hub of an international exchange and correspondence network, Banks ensured that Linnaeus's ideas became established throughout the world. As the president of the Royal Society for more than forty years, Banks revolutionized British science, and his innovations placed science at the heart of trade and politics. He made it a policy to collect and control resources not only for the sake of knowledge but also for the advancement of the empire. Although Linnaeus is often celebrated as modern botany's true founder, Banks has had a greater long-term impact. It was Banks who ensured that science and imperialism flourished together, and it was he who first forged the interdependent relationship between scientific inquiry and the state that endures to this day.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2003
13 people are currently reading
553 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Fara
24 books74 followersPatricia Fara is a historian of science at the University of Cambridge. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford and did her PhD at the University of London. She is a former Fellow of Darwin College and is currently a Fellow of Clare College where she is Senior Tutor and Tutor for graduate students. Fara is also a research associate and lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. Fara is author of numerous popular books on the history of science and has been a guest on BBC Radio 4's science and history discussion series, In Our Time. She began her academic career as a physicist but returned to graduate studies as a mature student to specialise in History and Philosophy of Science, completing her PhD thesis at Imperial College, London in 1993.
Her areas of particular academic interest include the role of portraiture and art in the history of science, science in the 18th century England during the Enlightenment and the role of women in science. She has written and co-authored a number of books for children on science. Fara is also a reviewer of books on history of science.
Her areas of particular academic interest include the role of portraiture and art in the history of science, science in the 18th century England during the Enlightenment and the role of women in science. She has written and co-authored a number of books for children on science. Fara is also a reviewer of books on history of science.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
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November 1, 2019This was a weird new type of book to me, it occupied that awkward space between an article and a book -let us say a non-fiction novella. As you can guess from the title it was a book that had it's fists on its hips and pelvis firmly thrust forward, which is to say it was full of statements which were, I assume, intended to be bold and provocative briefly that science wasn't value free, that Joseph Banks was representative of a new kind of Imperialism (in comparison to Linnaeus) and a leading ideologue of Empire and Imperial vision in the Britain of George III and this split over into how Banks and Linnaeus perceived non-Europeans. That Banks's role in the double colonisation of Australia - using it as a penal colony and the importation of European plants coupled with his management of the Royal Society under his presidency made him a controversial figure during his life time and left a debatable legacy which we are still negotiating.
I'm not sure that any of this is particularly controversial, or even provocative (unless you've been dead for fifty years or more). Apart from at least that in my opinion Fara's view that the vision of the role of botany in Empire was significantly different between Linnaeus and Banks, when from what Fara said it seemed more a difference of scale and scope rather than of kind. Also in her telling there wasn't much evidence of Banks as being particularly successful as prophet of Empire (with apologies to Australian wheat farmers and Caribbean breadfruit consumers) and as with Linnaeus many of his projects came to nothing even if a few were successful.
Fara, I felt had several ideas on how to write this book, however they don't make for a harmonious marriage - so bold provocative statements are backed up by analysis of portraits and engravings, which while interesting didn't particularly prove anything beyond that Banks, as rich and powerful people like to do, was keen to control his public image.
I wondered a little what the book aspired to do - it is part of a series 'on groundbreaking moments in science history' I'm unclear what groundbreaking moment in science history this book is about - my guess is the reception of Linnean classification in Britain, but that does sound duller than sex, botany and Empire.
To be fair the sketchy further reading section and brief endnotes were an accurate guide to the nature of the book, but the print was fairly large, the book was short, and it's title compelling.
The discussion of the various portraits is quite fun - Fara tells us that while Linnaeus posed in Sami costume to show how he was a fearless explorer of the far North, in fact the mixture of pieces of clothing from different Sami groups and for different times of years reflected how little time he spent in the far north and how limited his knowledge was, however no doubt it did the trick in convincing those who saw such pictures, once Linnaeus became a national icon in portraiture his eyes turned from their own brown to more 'typically Swedish' blue and rather than being scruffy he appeared to prefer to dress smartly in blue and yellow.
The same was true of Banks - from his official portraits one would not guess that he was plump and suffering from gout, he was careful to recommend his preferred engravers to maintain control over his public image. Still I wondered who was buying engravings of Banks' portraits and who was he trying to impress with them, and were the audiences impressed, or did they assume he was simply a wealthy playboy with a penchant for Imperial policy pronouncements?
I'm not sure that any of this is particularly controversial, or even provocative (unless you've been dead for fifty years or more). Apart from at least that in my opinion Fara's view that the vision of the role of botany in Empire was significantly different between Linnaeus and Banks, when from what Fara said it seemed more a difference of scale and scope rather than of kind. Also in her telling there wasn't much evidence of Banks as being particularly successful as prophet of Empire (with apologies to Australian wheat farmers and Caribbean breadfruit consumers) and as with Linnaeus many of his projects came to nothing even if a few were successful.
Fara, I felt had several ideas on how to write this book, however they don't make for a harmonious marriage - so bold provocative statements are backed up by analysis of portraits and engravings, which while interesting didn't particularly prove anything beyond that Banks, as rich and powerful people like to do, was keen to control his public image.
I wondered a little what the book aspired to do - it is part of a series 'on groundbreaking moments in science history' I'm unclear what groundbreaking moment in science history this book is about - my guess is the reception of Linnean classification in Britain, but that does sound duller than sex, botany and Empire.
To be fair the sketchy further reading section and brief endnotes were an accurate guide to the nature of the book, but the print was fairly large, the book was short, and it's title compelling.
The discussion of the various portraits is quite fun - Fara tells us that while Linnaeus posed in Sami costume to show how he was a fearless explorer of the far North, in fact the mixture of pieces of clothing from different Sami groups and for different times of years reflected how little time he spent in the far north and how limited his knowledge was, however no doubt it did the trick in convincing those who saw such pictures, once Linnaeus became a national icon in portraiture his eyes turned from their own brown to more 'typically Swedish' blue and rather than being scruffy he appeared to prefer to dress smartly in blue and yellow.
The same was true of Banks - from his official portraits one would not guess that he was plump and suffering from gout, he was careful to recommend his preferred engravers to maintain control over his public image. Still I wondered who was buying engravings of Banks' portraits and who was he trying to impress with them, and were the audiences impressed, or did they assume he was simply a wealthy playboy with a penchant for Imperial policy pronouncements?
November 29, 2015
This is the kind of light science read I find quite useful, as I would never read a full-length biography of either Linnaeus or Joseph Banks. Being 2 or 3 times the length of a serious New Yorker piece, this told me all I need to know about what these men achieved and why their reputation has fluctuated widely over the centuries. Basically, they both were opinionated, jingoistic amateurs with a considerable talent for self-promotion. Banks was a consummate courtier who realized he would get far more out of his friendship with King George III if he stayed out of politics. It seems to have been largely due to the King's patronage that he never lost his position as President of the Royal Society, although he had been an indifferent student at Oxford and had little scientific credibility. That said, he worked as hard as he partied and promoted many schemes, some of which succeeded. He did a lot to turn Kew Gardens into a major institution. He smuggled Spanish merinos sheep into England when the demand for the wool produced by English sheep fell and it became a matter of national importance to adapt the industry. Banks was not one to let scruples stop him, especially if he could invoke the higher needs of King and country. Sure, we've gotten used to being told that our forefathers were almost all racists and hypocrites, but I think Fara shows how, from their point of view, these guys were just doing a fine job of elbowing other peoples and nations out of the competition. Which is not to say that science didn't matter at all to them. In fact, the heads of today's research labs who spend their time applying for grants must be activated by mixed motives too.
February 4, 2015
Despite the subtitle, this has almost nothing about Linnaeus, except as background; it's basically an anecdotal mini-biography of Joseph Banks, heavy on gossip about his sex life and editorializing. The book reads more like an extended article from a popular history magazine than a serious biography. It gives no idea of why he was considered a great botanist, or what he accomplished as president of the Royal Society. There is a short chapter on his trip with Cook, which is of some interest. I think you could learn more about Banks from a Wikipedia article than from this book.
December 2, 2018
The title is clearly misleading. Not much sex, some botany, a lot of empire, some mentions of Carl Linnaeus and, yes, a lot about Joseph Banks and his meddling in imperial construction and politics.
An interesting figure, worth discovering; the book is a good introduction to him and provides references for further reading.
An interesting figure, worth discovering; the book is a good introduction to him and provides references for further reading.
March 6, 2018
Review by Ian Smith
The sub title for this book is “The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks” and it does seem initially that they are a sub plot as Patricia delves into Banks’ sexual proclivities (especially in Tahiti) during his long voyage with Cook.
That he had to pay his way (and that of his 7 servants) lets you know that money was not an issue and he was much in the same mould as Darwin, i.e. not overly educated but with enough money to travel and, ultimately, to cause profound changes in the way we view natural life.
Linnaeus, on the other hand, travelled hardly at all. A deeply religious man and caught up in the misogynistic attitudes of the day, his botany had a lot to do with getting plants from all parts of the world and making them grow in Sweden; to which end he sent out his disciples to gather such items from wherever. His right wing politics drove him with the end goal to make Sweden great by having all manner of edible and useful plants adapted to the Scandinavian area. Sadly, doomed to failure from the start but his use of erotic terms to name species evoked massive publicity and much criticism from the puritanical set. Out of all the classifications suggested and tried, Linnaeus’ has survived.
Meanwhile, Banks was also to garner much help in gathering samples when he returned for, despite wanting to go again, his demands on how a ship should be outfitted to suit his purposes found no takers. However, he was able to convince the government to fund others in scientific endeavours which ultimately enhanced his work.
He became the president of the Royal Society, a position of much influence that he cultivated for 42 years despite continual opposition from many sources. He also cultivated favour with King George III which gave him a great edge in decision making that affected England.
His control of plants and animals coming in and out of England and his tutorship of Kew Gardens was to have a profound impact on a world scale. It was, to a large degree, due to Banks that Australia was initially settled and the eleven Spanish merino sheep that found their way south to found our massive industry were due to Banks seeking to enhance his, and England’s, wealth in agriculture.
There are many illustrations in this book that highlight the attitudes of the time, clearly explained by the author who, in this entertaining work, highlights the personal and political goings on during an age of exploration when the destiny of much of the world was determined and just how Banks was a huge part of it, though in England today he is hardly known, despite reverential treatment in Australia.
The sub title for this book is “The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks” and it does seem initially that they are a sub plot as Patricia delves into Banks’ sexual proclivities (especially in Tahiti) during his long voyage with Cook.
That he had to pay his way (and that of his 7 servants) lets you know that money was not an issue and he was much in the same mould as Darwin, i.e. not overly educated but with enough money to travel and, ultimately, to cause profound changes in the way we view natural life.
Linnaeus, on the other hand, travelled hardly at all. A deeply religious man and caught up in the misogynistic attitudes of the day, his botany had a lot to do with getting plants from all parts of the world and making them grow in Sweden; to which end he sent out his disciples to gather such items from wherever. His right wing politics drove him with the end goal to make Sweden great by having all manner of edible and useful plants adapted to the Scandinavian area. Sadly, doomed to failure from the start but his use of erotic terms to name species evoked massive publicity and much criticism from the puritanical set. Out of all the classifications suggested and tried, Linnaeus’ has survived.
Meanwhile, Banks was also to garner much help in gathering samples when he returned for, despite wanting to go again, his demands on how a ship should be outfitted to suit his purposes found no takers. However, he was able to convince the government to fund others in scientific endeavours which ultimately enhanced his work.
He became the president of the Royal Society, a position of much influence that he cultivated for 42 years despite continual opposition from many sources. He also cultivated favour with King George III which gave him a great edge in decision making that affected England.
His control of plants and animals coming in and out of England and his tutorship of Kew Gardens was to have a profound impact on a world scale. It was, to a large degree, due to Banks that Australia was initially settled and the eleven Spanish merino sheep that found their way south to found our massive industry were due to Banks seeking to enhance his, and England’s, wealth in agriculture.
There are many illustrations in this book that highlight the attitudes of the time, clearly explained by the author who, in this entertaining work, highlights the personal and political goings on during an age of exploration when the destiny of much of the world was determined and just how Banks was a huge part of it, though in England today he is hardly known, despite reverential treatment in Australia.
October 18, 2024
A delve into the life of Lincolnshire’s own Joseph Banks, I visited the conservatory that bears his name in Lincoln. More famous in Australia than Britain for his role in discovering and establishing the colony. He believed we should send our unwanted criminals to live there. The UK prisons are again at breaking point in 2024 but where to send them now?
He sailed at a time of expedition and mapping with Captain James Cook on The Endeavour and scandalised Britain with his open dalliances with Tahitian women. That botany had a bad reputation as being improper due to the sexual reproduction of plants did not help matters, he was seen as quite the irresponsible dandy.
Banks walked in the footsteps of Carl Linnaeus in Sweden who had offered what turned out to be the most influential method of categorising species, even giving us the classification of homo sapien. He would also cause offence with his improper way of describing plants, genteel lady folk would be offered censored guides to botany so as not to offend their pure sensibilities.
Big on scientific discovery and expedition, in the name of the British Empire, Banks would go to operate as the president of the Royal Society. He stubbornly saw off challengers for 42 years. His critics felt he lacked a background in chemistry and physics and was altogether not enough of an intellectual for such a prestigious position.
However, he agitated on behalf of all manner of scientific activity during Empire and had various plants moved around the world. Flaxseed and spinach came to the UK and sheep (disastrously?) moved to New Zealand. He even commissioned the notorious mission of The Bounty and its ill-fated trip to take breadfruit to the Caribbean, now a staple foodstuff there. This attempt of course ended in mutiny.
I can see why other reviewers were dissatisfied with this book, it darts around wildly and has little content on Linnaeus. It served my needs as regards an overview of a notable local figure.
He sailed at a time of expedition and mapping with Captain James Cook on The Endeavour and scandalised Britain with his open dalliances with Tahitian women. That botany had a bad reputation as being improper due to the sexual reproduction of plants did not help matters, he was seen as quite the irresponsible dandy.
Banks walked in the footsteps of Carl Linnaeus in Sweden who had offered what turned out to be the most influential method of categorising species, even giving us the classification of homo sapien. He would also cause offence with his improper way of describing plants, genteel lady folk would be offered censored guides to botany so as not to offend their pure sensibilities.
Big on scientific discovery and expedition, in the name of the British Empire, Banks would go to operate as the president of the Royal Society. He stubbornly saw off challengers for 42 years. His critics felt he lacked a background in chemistry and physics and was altogether not enough of an intellectual for such a prestigious position.
However, he agitated on behalf of all manner of scientific activity during Empire and had various plants moved around the world. Flaxseed and spinach came to the UK and sheep (disastrously?) moved to New Zealand. He even commissioned the notorious mission of The Bounty and its ill-fated trip to take breadfruit to the Caribbean, now a staple foodstuff there. This attempt of course ended in mutiny.
I can see why other reviewers were dissatisfied with this book, it darts around wildly and has little content on Linnaeus. It served my needs as regards an overview of a notable local figure.
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February 16, 2024Can't really be bothered to give it a star rating because I don't know really know how to rate "casual" history. Basically: this is a really good overview on how Joseph Banks tied botany and empire together. (I agree with many other reviewers that putting both Linnaeus and Banks in the title is a bit misleading since it really mostly focuses on the latter.)
The third term, sex, mostly features in Banks' early adventures in Tahiti (which are quite fun), and in Carl Linnaeus' fascinating way of classifying the natural world according to European notions of (human) biological sex. He made those flowers pretty sexy alright. But this is where I feel like the author missed the opportunity to go on about the consequences of this colonising of sex, and sexualising of the colonial world, where this binary was enforced onto every living thing. Alok V Menon has an incredible reading list related to this, by the way. I guess this book was more of its time but it would still have closed the loop pretty neatly.
Altogether a fun and interesting read though, if you want to learn about the age of exploration and science!
The third term, sex, mostly features in Banks' early adventures in Tahiti (which are quite fun), and in Carl Linnaeus' fascinating way of classifying the natural world according to European notions of (human) biological sex. He made those flowers pretty sexy alright. But this is where I feel like the author missed the opportunity to go on about the consequences of this colonising of sex, and sexualising of the colonial world, where this binary was enforced onto every living thing. Alok V Menon has an incredible reading list related to this, by the way. I guess this book was more of its time but it would still have closed the loop pretty neatly.
Altogether a fun and interesting read though, if you want to learn about the age of exploration and science!
September 17, 2014
This book ties in wonderfully with the novel 'The Signature of All Things' by Elizabeth Gilbert so reading them all together
I delved into this little book after reading 'The Signature of All Things' I was curious to learn more about the Botanist you sailed with Cook and how he built up his already rich empire and how full of his self importance he was. It was a time when British men felt themselves far more superior than the natives they encountered. I wasn't quite sure where the Swedish Pastor Carl Linnaeus fit into this story?
The author states 'Banks is a botanical libertine whose excessive desire for women has been replaced by an obsessive preoccupation with plants'. Joseph was a supporter of the works of Carl Linnaeus particularly the classification of flowers by counting the number of female and male reproductive organs inside them. According to this little book in the 18th Century '...the scientific language of botany was saturated with sexual references', which the author fills us in with.
It's said that Joseph Banks is not as famous here in the UK as he seems to have been in Australia even though it was Banks who pushed for the convicts in the overfilled prisons to be sent to Australia for their penance (Oh dear now there is another story to research into)
The book on amazon had very mixed reviews and I am not entirely sure how I actually feel after reading it. I did learn from it though that thanks to Joseph Banks Kew Gardens ended up with a whole load of new plant species to study, plus Linnaeus's system has been in use now for over 200 years. Now that cannot have been a bad thing can it?
I delved into this little book after reading 'The Signature of All Things' I was curious to learn more about the Botanist you sailed with Cook and how he built up his already rich empire and how full of his self importance he was. It was a time when British men felt themselves far more superior than the natives they encountered. I wasn't quite sure where the Swedish Pastor Carl Linnaeus fit into this story?
The author states 'Banks is a botanical libertine whose excessive desire for women has been replaced by an obsessive preoccupation with plants'. Joseph was a supporter of the works of Carl Linnaeus particularly the classification of flowers by counting the number of female and male reproductive organs inside them. According to this little book in the 18th Century '...the scientific language of botany was saturated with sexual references', which the author fills us in with.
It's said that Joseph Banks is not as famous here in the UK as he seems to have been in Australia even though it was Banks who pushed for the convicts in the overfilled prisons to be sent to Australia for their penance (Oh dear now there is another story to research into)
The book on amazon had very mixed reviews and I am not entirely sure how I actually feel after reading it. I did learn from it though that thanks to Joseph Banks Kew Gardens ended up with a whole load of new plant species to study, plus Linnaeus's system has been in use now for over 200 years. Now that cannot have been a bad thing can it?
October 9, 2017
Liked it less than I thought I would, but still a nifty, easy read. From the title I was also expecting more of a discussion of the social reception to Linnaeus' system and subsequent developments, so I was rather disappointed that this is merely glossed over.
The jumping back and forth datewise with little context threw me off, but if you have a good sense of time/history this probably isn't an issue. The book is mostly focused on Joseph Banks rather than Linnaeus, and reads more like a light primer for a history of science course (at times it reads like a collation of other sources) than an in-depth biography or in-depth pop science book about botany. If you're just looking for a taster on Banks/the development of British modern science/the time period, this is reasonably effective, but it is too lightweight (and short) to deliver a hit of real substance.
The jumping back and forth datewise with little context threw me off, but if you have a good sense of time/history this probably isn't an issue. The book is mostly focused on Joseph Banks rather than Linnaeus, and reads more like a light primer for a history of science course (at times it reads like a collation of other sources) than an in-depth biography or in-depth pop science book about botany. If you're just looking for a taster on Banks/the development of British modern science/the time period, this is reasonably effective, but it is too lightweight (and short) to deliver a hit of real substance.
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April 19, 2007Things I never thought I'd say: Too much sex, not enough science. Oh, and lest we forget about that whole "empire" part of the title, there's plenty about old dirty white men and their bad, bad imperialist tendencies. You know, in case you care about that sort of thing.
December 16, 2018
A nice quick read if you are interested in the history of natural sciences, but not much new if you have read, say, The Age of Wonder (which I strongly recommend).
February 28, 2022
The title of the book is misleading, the main focus is on the career of Joseph Banks, the reader gets a brief introduction to Carl Linnaeus and his work, but it's rather lightly brushed over. Regarding the botany, this is not a scientific manual, what it is, is a short analysis of how botany became a priority for the British Empire and the economic opportunities that Banks recognized could be won by investing in it.
The "sex" part of the book is just innuendo, we've all heard the stories of British sailors eloping with natives, for sure Banks indulged as well.
What I liked about this book, was the chapter on the HMS Endeavour. My interest has been peaked on this subject (Thank you to the Author) and I will seek out a book on this expedition at a later date.
All in all, this was nice short book to get through with some intriguing elements, definitely worthwhile as an introduction to Banks and the especially the economic opportunities of Empire expansion.
The "sex" part of the book is just innuendo, we've all heard the stories of British sailors eloping with natives, for sure Banks indulged as well.
What I liked about this book, was the chapter on the HMS Endeavour. My interest has been peaked on this subject (Thank you to the Author) and I will seek out a book on this expedition at a later date.
All in all, this was nice short book to get through with some intriguing elements, definitely worthwhile as an introduction to Banks and the especially the economic opportunities of Empire expansion.
July 6, 2023
An informative read about Linnaeus and Banks’ lives. As a botanist who knew a bit about both men, I still found a lot to learn here. However, it was not as detailed as I’d hoped in tying together Sex, Botany and Empire, and I was left wanting more.
I mainly found that it wasn’t really much about Linnaeus, which was a shame, and did not really go into sufficient detail about Banks’ role as a botanist. It spends much time focusing on the scandal and “Sex” aspect of the book, and only towards the very end do we get a sense beyond passing reference of the ways in which Banks’ steered the development of the Empire and scientific systems of the time.
I get the sense that the author wants to highlight the importance of Banks in our history, but I leave it focussing more on his self importance, greed and vanity, than anything else, and certainly very little of his lasting legacy (both good and bad).
I mainly found that it wasn’t really much about Linnaeus, which was a shame, and did not really go into sufficient detail about Banks’ role as a botanist. It spends much time focusing on the scandal and “Sex” aspect of the book, and only towards the very end do we get a sense beyond passing reference of the ways in which Banks’ steered the development of the Empire and scientific systems of the time.
I get the sense that the author wants to highlight the importance of Banks in our history, but I leave it focussing more on his self importance, greed and vanity, than anything else, and certainly very little of his lasting legacy (both good and bad).
October 17, 2024
Given the nature of the book - a discussion of Linnaeus and his botanical classification system on the one hand, and Joseph Banks' history as president of the Royal Society (1778-1819), where as scientist, naturalist, explorer, and, perhaps most importantly as a cheerleader, he was greatly responsible for wedding science to botany in the service of the British empire (trade and economic development), and all that in 157 pages, the title would have been more reflective of the content if the author had dropped Linnaeus from the title. Other than Banks' use of the Linnaean system, the opening tw0 chapters, highlighting as they do the initial cultural shock of the sexual language and imagery of Linnaeus' system, have little to do with the rest of the book. As a monograph of sorts on Banks' work as Royal Society president, the book can be a useful introduction to the general topic (the botanical side of late 18th-early 19th century British imperial activities).
January 20, 2018
Accessible with depth. The book focuses almost exclusively on Joseph Banks, despite Linnaeus being mentioned in the title. The book explores the politicking needed to fund science as well as the imperial implications of scientific exploration. The “sex” part of the title has little to do with the text other than to note that Tahitian populations were characterized as sexually promiscuous. This served to highlight the prudish nature of British culture in the 1700s. The book also illustrates well the ways in which classification was fraught with human cultural bias and the use of science to perpetuate white and male supremacy. The book provides an even account that illustrates hegemony without being post modern.
August 17, 2020
The astonishing and enlightening stories behind two of history's most famous names of natural science. Were they the brilliant men that the history books would have us believe, or are there deeper concerns of bias, racism, elitism, and foppish adventurism...?? This is a good read and the author has made a seemingly complex topic very accessible and enjoyable!
December 30, 2025
This book made me laugh. Pretty silly that botany was considered a sexually explicit science at one point and that expansion of the British empire, and the scientific discoveries that accompanied, forced dumb Protestants to grapple with there beliefs about creation and Caucasian superiority. Good for a light read with equal parts niche history and humor.
October 9, 2017
a light entertaining read, but a misleading title, very little on Linnaeus. May be of interest as a first read to anyone who is unfamilur with Banks but very superficial in content.
June 15, 2018
Very quick read, would have liked more substance.
January 8, 2019
Hmmm. Some interesting facts but as previously stated not a great deal of admiration shown for either of her subjects, ie Banks or Linnaeus.
April 23, 2020
A quick and easy, but wonderfully informative, read!
May 16, 2021
What could have been an interesting long magazine article over extended into a tedious book.
July 30, 2021
Sort of boring.
September 27, 2022
Very very interesting! More like 3 1/2 stars. I found it very informative and I learned a lot about world history. Definitely gonna check out the other titles in these series.
December 8, 2024
Highly informative and readable short book on the interests and influence of Joseph Banks and associates.
May 18, 2025
Delightfully informative without being bogged down. I laughed at times by the author's subtle digs and references. Great read if you are interested especially in Australian history.
Loved it.
Loved it.
October 28, 2025
Amazing, unexpected and easy to read
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December 24, 2025shoutout to Ash for showing this to me as a joke at Charlie Byrne's, easily the most interesting reading of the year
September 4, 2024
i loveddd this book !!! the perfect amount of fact and drama, in addition to the fact i have a pre-existing adoration for classification and botany, this book was just the ideal amalgamation of my interests. it read like a documentary with a heaping tablespoon of drama and gossip, something akin to a youtube video essay with a charismatic host. i did feel like the middle was a bit slow and went too much into the politics, something i didn't really appreciate, and i also felt like it couldn't done with telling a little more of the story of carl linnaeus, like it advertises, but overall i definitely enjoyed this book as a whole!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews