By the early eighteenth century botanists were inching towards the shocking truth that plants had male and female organs and reproduced sexually. The first person to realize the practical implications of this was London nurseryman and author Thomas Fairchild. By transferring the pollen of a sweet William into the pistil of a carnation, he created a new plant that became known as 'Fairchild's Mule': the first man-made hybrid in Europe. But this primitive form of genetic engineering aroused a scientific and religious furore.

Michael Leapman offers fascinating and colourful detail about the life and times of Fairchild, a troubled, gentle soul whose pioneering work changed the course of horticulture and paved the way for the growth of gardening as a cultural obsession.

'A beguiling perambulation around the Georgian nursery trade.' Sir Roy Strong, "Daily Mail"

Conceived as a showcase for Britain's burgeoning manufacturing industries and the exotic products of its Empire, the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace was Britain's first truly national spectacle. Michael Leapman explores how the exhibition came into being; the key characters who made it happen (from Prince Albert, who was credited with the idea, to Thomas Cook, whose cheap railway trips ensured its accessibility to all); and the fascinating tales behind the exhibits that fired the imagination of the era. 'The best kind of popular history: exact, imaginative and full of fun.' Sunday Telegraph `Splendid... Michael Leapman brings a child's delight to the wonders of the Exhibition and his enthusiastic prose makes his readers feel they are almost walking down its aisles.' Mail on Sunday `Entertaining and engaging' Independent

Writer of The Times Diary, Michael Leapman, became a tenant of an allotment next to Brixton Prison for 35p a year in 1974 when food and energy shortages inspired many people to attempt self-sufficiency. This book tells the story of the plot and the author's first year of cultivating it, written with humour and wit while providing a wealth of information for the would-be urban horticulturalist. "It is splendid stuff and if your husband is a gardening bore and you want to shut him up for an hour or three, this is the answer.' The Guardian 'It makes fine bedside reading, laced with plenty of anecdotes, good gardening information, plus an Idle Gardener's Almanac.' Good Housekeeping

As well as holding some of the world's most prized cultural treasures, the British Library is the repository of the nation's collective memory. Owing its origin to the generosity and far-sightedness of a handful of eighteenth-century scholars and booklovers, and built up over 250 years, the Library's very extensive collections - of books, manuscripts, maps, music, newspapers, photographs, sound recordings, stamps, and digital media - offer keys to the understanding of human achievement in literature, art, music, politics, journalism, exploration and much else, from ancient times to the present day. In this highly illustrated book Michael Leapman tells the Library's story, highlighting the most significant and beautiful items in its care, as well as exploring some of the lesser known, more surprising artifacts housed in its iconic building in the heart of London.

`The perfect guide to this tremendous city' OBSERVER Written with unfailing common sense, as well as insight and affection... the perfect guide to this tremendous city OBSERVER A true traveller's companion and friend SUNDAY TELEGRAPH For more thanthirty years Michael Leapman has been intimately involved with New York as a journalist, resident or frequent visitor. Here he takes readers with him on a series of walks through the heart of Manhattan and beyond, explaining howit came to be the world's most fabulous city, as well as revealing its present-day secrets. When the original edition of this incomparable guide was published in 1983, it won the Thomas Cook award as the guide book of the year. After he revised it in 1991 it was chosen by New York Magazine as the best of nearly a hundred books about the city. Now he has been back to retrace his steps. Thoroughly updated, this book is packed with inspiration, revelation, and sound practical advice. MICHAEL LEAPMAN lived in New York for seven years, as correspondent for The Times, reporting perceptively on the city's delights and foibles. He continues to visit New York regularly and to write about it for magazines and other newspapers. This is a reissue of a book first published in 1983 and last revised in 2000. It therefore includes references to and descriptions of the World Trade Center. These have been left in for historical interest.