The Orchid Outlaw
On a Mission to Save Our Rarest Flowers
Format:Paperback
Publisher:John Murray Press
Published:25th Apr '24
Should be back in stock very soon

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE & SHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES AWARD
'One man's fascinating mission to save the great British orchid' Mail on Sunday
'Noble work in a time of great change' New Statesman
Ben Jacob is the Orchid Outlaw. In the dead of night, armed with a torch and a trowel, he risks everything, climbing into building sites to rescue Britain's rarest flowers from extinction. At once a memoir, a natural history and an inspiring manifesto for a better future, The Orchid Outlaw shows how we can all save our disappearing natural world, one plant at a time.
'A vivid love letter to Britain's orchids . . . Ben Jacob breaks all the rules with enormous success' FRANCIS PRYOR
'Unorthodox and precious' Financial Times
'Enchanting' Country Life
'A fearless battle and a lifelong passion . . . find out why Ben Jacob has risked heavy fines and even prison to save our endangered orchids' Observer
A daring, delightful and galvanising call to save the world, one plant at a time * The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice *
It's noble work in a time of great change. The Orchid Outlaw urges us to look closer and tread more carefully -- Alice Vincent * New Statesman *
If this doesn't turn into one of the most talked about nature books of the year, I'll eat my hat. Brilliantly written, urgent and brave -- Lee Schofield, author of WILD FELL
A vivid love letter to Britain's wild orchids . . . Ben Jacob breaks all the rules with enormous success -- FRANCIS PRYOR, Time Team and author of THE MAKING OF THE BRITISH LANDSCAPE
The Orchid Outlaw . . . offers captivating descriptions of pre-dawn forays on to private land where housing developments will soon obliterate colonies of precious orchids * Financial Times, Best new books on climate and the environment *
The book is written with a skip and drama, and will leave you furious that these strange and delicate plants have been so neglected * Mail on Sunday *
A brave, timely and inspiring example of how to exercise our moral obligation to care for the non-human beings we share the world with. The Orchid Outlaw is an empowering tonic to the environmental despair evoked by the lack of leadership from our lawmakers -- Leif Bersweden, author of Where the Wild Flowers Grow
- Long-listed for The Wainwright Prize 2023 (UK)
ISBN: 9781399802284
Dimensions: 196mm x 126mm x 24mm
Weight: 240g
320 pages