As part of the Globe Corner Bookstores Adventure Lecture Series, author W. John Kress will give an illustrated talk about and read from his latest book The Weeping Goldsmith: Discoveries in the Secret Land of Myanmar.
The Weeping Goldsmith is a remarkable memoir of the over nine years that Dr. Kress spent exploring the wilderness of Myanmar in search of rare and beautiful plants, and how he came to appreciate Myanmar’s unique people and culture. The book contains past explorers’ archival photographs as well as 200 of the author’s color photographs of plants, people, landscapes, and temples. A 10-page portfolio includes photographs of 50 Myanmar plants, with botanical profiles and habitat detail.
W. John Kress prefaces his book by explaining that it “is about the natural landscapes and people of Myanmar as interpreted through the eyes of a modern-day scientist and plant explorer…I surveyed the teak forests, bamboo thickets, timber plantations, rivers, and mangroves to document the plant diversity of this vast unknown land. Myanmar is one of the world’s great biodiversity hot spots in Asia, but because of its social isolation and reputation for political repression it has been off-limits and avoided by many biologists, conservationists, and environmentalists.”
This event will take place Wednesday, March 10 at First Parish Church, 3 Church Street in Cambridge (Harvard Square), and is free and wheelchair accessible. Reservations are recommended, and you may call 617-649-5700 x 21, or email events@gcb.com.
