The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power, and the Seeds of Empire

Science News,  Feb 16, 2008  

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THE THIEF AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Rubber, Power, and the Seeds of Empire JOE JACKSON

When Henry wickham heard about a kind of tree that produced strong and durable rubber, he ventured into Amazonian jungles in search of it. Rubber was craved during the Victorian era, and Wickham hoped his expedition would make him a wealthy man. He found the rubber trees and smuggled 70,000 of the seeds into England. Wickham's seeds were planted throughout the British Empire. Within a few years, they produced trees that yielded rubber used in everything from trains to baby bottles. Wickham himself never reaped a financial benefit from the rubber boom. His story is one of shattered patriotism and industrial greed. Jackson, a former investigative reporter, combed through botanical archives and private letters, and trekked through South America to produce a thorough account of what may be the first case of biopiracy in the modern era. Viking, 2008, 413 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $27.95.

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