{"title":"Books by Bill Laws","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780715338544","title":"Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History","description":"\u003cp\u003eOf course, we are entirely dependent on plants for our foodand the air we breathe, but did you know that 5,000 mature English oak treeswere used in the construction of Admiral Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, or thatsweet peas were involved in the birth of the science of genetics? King Cottonwas the driver of the slave trade, which was the first domino to fall in the AmericanRevolution, and cotton was also the catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. These,and many other extraordinary facts in \u003ci\u003eFiftyPlants that Changed the Course of History\u003c\/i\u003e, highlight the dynamic ways inwhich plants have influenced human history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis beautifully designed and illustrated volume provides anengaging guide to the fifty key plants that have had the most impact on humanhistory. Packed full of information, the book includes details about thehabitat and characteristics of each plant, fact boxes, full colour photographs andlovely botanical illustrations. Weaving together strands of economic, politicaland agricultural history, each entry is a fascinating look at the mostinfluential plants known to mankind.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43399917306034,"sku":"9780715338544","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780715338544_fdfe95e8-c778-4f12-979a-120a9f828ea8.jpg?v=1786014771"},{"product_id":"9781803999623","title":"A Ramble Through the History of Walking","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘This book confirms the splendid eccentricity of the British, which often involves oddly dressed men opting to walk long distances for no apparent reason.’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e – BBC \u003cem\u003eCountryfile\u003c\/em\u003e magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eLaws’ sprightly, often arch, account of Britain’s hiking heroes is a pleasure to read.’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e – \u003cem\u003eWalk\u003c\/em\u003e magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'The great affair is to move: to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot,' wrote Robert Louis Stevenson. This book celebrates the history of walking for leisure and pleasure.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere’s no shortage of the famous, and the not-so-famous, exponents of a good, long walk: Dr Jonson and his faithful Boswell on their Hebridean jaunt; John Taylor, whose Penniless Pilgrimage – a record of his 1618 journey from London to Edinburgh – provided the first account of a walking tour; and Samuel Coleridge who conceived his epic tale of the Ancient Mariner on a ramble through Devon. Celebrating the history of walking for leisure and pleasure, Bill Laws tells the stories behind key walking inventions such as the rucksack, bloomers, youth hostels and the long-distance route.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFully illustrated throughout, \u003cem\u003eA Ramble Through the History of Walking\u003c\/em\u003e is sure to delight anyone interested in the engaging history of one of man’s favourite pastimes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55206394921333,"sku":"9781803999623","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781803999623.jpg?v=1786027469"},{"product_id":"9781803997155","title":"The Curious History of Vegetables","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCouch potatoes are idlers, cabbageheads are dunces, swede-bashers are stupid and you may as well give up life if you become a vegetable.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA vegetable existence may imply dull monotony, but the humble vegetable has sparked protests, threatened to topple a British government and almost triggered a revolution. From the Scottish Presbyterian campaign against the ‘sinful potato’ to the class act that turned the carrot into a propaganda tool, from garlic inscriptions on Egyptian pyramids to Neolithic broad beans and medieval cabbage, and from the Dig for Victory campaign to competitive vegetable growing, \u003cem\u003eThe Curious History of Vegetables\u003c\/em\u003e highlights just how vital our produce really is.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307436519797,"sku":"9781803997155","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781803997155_2c421f7d-a2dc-4a20-bed5-b67faf69d508.jpg?v=1786027338"},{"product_id":"9781910839782","title":"The Story of the Herefordshire Pomona","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308997751157,"sku":"9781910839782","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910839782_c453a9a0-7efd-4f63-b493-844add3a97de.jpg?v=1786029277"},{"product_id":"fifty-railways-that-changed-the-course-of-history","title":"Fifty Railways that Changed the Course of History","description":"\u003cp\u003eFifty Railways that Changed the Course of History is afascinating and beautifully presented guide to the train lines and rail companies thathave had the greatest impact on modern civilization.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEntries range from the Metropolitan Line of the LondonUnderground, the world’s first underground railway, to the Pacific Railroad, thefirst transcontinental railroad in North America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn order to justify the assertion that they literally 'changedthe course of history,' each railway is judged by its influence in fivecategories: Engineering, Society, commerce, Politics, and Military.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57484244812149,"sku":"9781446302903","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781446302903.jpg?v=1786266295"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-bill-laws.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}