Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize (History)
Finalist for the National Book Award (Nonfiction)
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
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 him: 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 American. 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 others: 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.
16 pages of color illustrations"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition 1.85. Seller Inventory # bk1631494198xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. This copy is NEW; the text is clear, bright, and unmarked; binding is tight. The jacket is also new: absolutely intact , including excellent color and design. We have a five star rating because of our fulfilment success and because our descriptions are accurate. On foreign sales, because of the heavy weight of this book, we have to charge extra for shipping: however, we will only charge the difference between our regular shipping rate and the extra charge that the U.S.Post Office asks to ship the book. We guarantee: NO NASTY SURPRISES. Seller Inventory # 770634
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Brand New Copy. Seller Inventory # BBB_new1631494198
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 9781631494192
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9781631494192
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published 1.85. Seller Inventory # 353-1631494198-new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_1631494198
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ01XESH_ns
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon1631494198
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 30234471-n