An eminent botanist and natural historian, George Simonds Boulger (1853-1922) wrote a number of books on plant life in the British Isles. He published this concise work in 1889. It opens with a brief survey of the progress made in economic botany over the years, particularly in the period 1837-87. Boulger then notes the commercial application of plants across many fields, notably food production, medicine, and the building trade. Common and botanical names are given, followed by succinct descriptions of each plant. Including both a general and synoptical index, this accessible resource can be read with profit alongside John Jackson's Commercial Botany of the Nineteenth Century (1890) and Boulger's Wood: A Manual of the Natural History and Industrial Applications of the Timbers of Commerce (1902), both of which are reissued in this series.

Wood

by George Simonds Boulger

Published 6 October 2008
An eminent botanist and natural historian, George Simonds Boulger (1853–1922) wrote a number of books on plant life in the British Isles. First published in 1902, this manual explores the characteristics and uses of one of the most abundant and versatile natural materials. In the first part, Boulger outlines the general biological function and uses of wood. He also describes the classification of wood, and the durability of different timbers. The second part catalogues the types of wood that are used commercially. Boulger explains the distinguishing characteristics and uses of hundreds of different kinds of timber, which are listed alphabetically. Featuring 82 illustrations, the book also includes appendices explaining some of the terminology and science of wood, and a select bibliography. Boulger's work on economic botany, The Uses of Plants (1889), is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.