The Garden of Invention: Luther Burbank and the Business of Breeding Plants

by Jane S. Smith

Book Overview

The wide-ranging and delightful history of celebrated plant breeder Luther Burbank and the business of farm and garden in early twentieth- century America At no other time in history has there been... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594202095
• ISBN13: 9781594202094
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Press
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Biography of Luther Burbank

A must read for anyone interested in American history, natural history, or gardening. Well written and researched.

Garden of Invention - a must read

Everyone who has read The Omnivore's Dilemma should read The Garden of Invention. This biography explains the start one hundred years of corporate food and factory farms.

Burbank

Fascinating book and well written. Covers the subject in depth and with lots of details.

Deserves a spot in any general lending library

GARDEN OF INVENTION: LUTHER BURBANK AND THE BUSINESS OF BREEDING PLANTS offers an excellent history of the plant breeder and farm and garden efforts in early 20th century America. A century ago Burbank was the most famous gardener on the planet. This survey of his contributions is not a biography nor an encyclopedia of his creations but a cultural and social survey of Burbank's influences on gardening trends and American culture, and deserves a spot in any general lending library.

Food for Thought

Frankenfood, corn-powered cars, seedless oranges, and cloned cows--if you wonder how we got there from here, read "The Garden of Invention," which shares the story of plant pioneer Luther Burbank, inventor of dozens of famous and infamous fruits, vegetables, and flowers, including the Satsuma plum and Black Giant cherry, rainbow corn and elephant garlic, Shasta daisy and American Evening primrose--not to mention spineless cacti. In his own time (Burbank developed more than 800 new varieties between 1873 and 1925), he was as famous as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, and hero to such diverse icons as Andrew Carnegie and Swami Paramahasa Yoganada. His legacy gave rise to "The Garden as Intellectual Property," as Smith titles her last chapter. This book is fun, fascinating, fast-reading food for thought.