"FANTASTIC. If I did not know most of the main players I would
have thought the author had a vivid and twisted imagination."--Paul
Martin Brown, author of "Wild Orchids of Florida"
"A fascinating true story of obsession, greed, and lust for the
unobtainable. Reminds me a great deal of "The Maltese Falcon." This
rare flower is definitely the stuff that dreams are made of."--Ace
Atkins, author of "Devil's Garden" and "Infamous"
"Pittman has captured the extreme competition, unique
characters, and general insanity that often typify the orchid
world. "The Scent of Scandal "exemplifies how passion and profit
can overrule common sense and the law."--Scott Steward, former
associate editor, "North American Native Orchid Journal"
After its Peruvian discovery in 2002, "Phragmipedium kovachii"
became the rarest and most sought-after orchid in the world. Prices
soared to $10,000 on the black market. Then one showed up at Marie
Selby Botanical Gardens, where every year more than 100,000 people
visit. They come for the lush landscape on Sarasota Bay and for
Selby's vast orchid collection, one of the most magnificent in the
world.
The collision between Selby's scientists and the smugglers of
"Phrag. Kovachii," a rare ladyslipper orchid hailed as the most
significant and beautiful new species discovered in a century, led
to search warrants, a grand jury investigation, and criminal
charges. It made headlines around the country, cost the gardens
hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, and led to
tremendous internal turmoil.
Investigative journalist Craig Pittman unravels this tangled web to
shine a spotlight on flaws in the international treaties governing
trade in endangered wildlife--which may protect individual plants
and animals in shipping but do little to halt the destruction of
whole colonies in the wild.
"The Scent of Scandal" unspools like a riveting mystery novel,
stranger than anything in Susan Orlean's "The Orchid Thief" or the
film "Adaptation." Pittman shows how some people can become so
obsessed--with beauty, with profit, with fame--that they will
ignore everything, even the law.
General
Imprint: |
University Press of Florida
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Florida History and Culture |
Release date: |
August 2014 |
First published: |
February 2015 |
Authors: |
Craig Pittman
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 22mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
304 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8130-6056-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
True stories >
Crime
|
LSN: |
0-8130-6056-7 |
Barcode: |
9780813060569 |
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