A mystery orchid. A forgotten archive. Victorian obsession. Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing. Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG

Thanks to Miranda Melcher for a really probing, detailed interview on The Lost Orchid for the New Books Network @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social

I'm a bit thrilled about this! The image, which I discuss in The Lost Orchid, was made in the 1820s. It's the first (European) illustration of an orchid that would obsess generations - sort of a botanical pin-up bsky.app/profile/nybo...

Many historians "have come to see colonizers as oppressors and colonized peoples as oppressed," Sarah Bilston writes. But Victorian orchid hunters are not easy to place in this dichotomy:

In 1818, a curious root arrived in a small English village, tucked—seemingly by accident—in a packing case mailed from Brazil. "The story seemed odd to me: surely someone knew how it got into the packing case?" We sat down with Sarah Bilston, author of The Lost Orchid: tinyurl.com/38k4ky27

This is how orchid-hunting was represented in 19th cent British lit: brave hunter goes on expedition, pushes through undergrowth and at last, gasp, there it is. Letters show that isn't what happened at all - hunters found knowledgeable locals who showed them the way #lostorchid

This may well cross (actually, march all over) the showing-off line... but if you are looking for a Mother's Day gift, The Lost Orchid has a Kirkus starred review - www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

I'm so looking forward to speaking about my new book, The Lost Orchid, at RJ Julia in Middletown on Tuesday, 6pm! events.wesleyan.edu/event/13697-...

Obviously I’m biased but I do think this would make a great gift for an orchid-lover - no ice cubes needed! #lostorchid

Had a lot of fun talking about Orchidomania (and cultural manias in general) with Colin McEnroe today - www.ctpublic.org/show/the-col...

One month until The Lost Orchid is published, can hardly believe it. Meanwhile, here's some pretty pictures of orchids and a Q&A: www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the...

This is the gorgeous cover of my new book, by the amazing designer Gabriele Wilson! And I just learned The Lost Orchid got a Kirkus starred review, so I’m going to sit here staring at it