Richard Bradley

author

Richard Bradley

1688–1732

An early English botanist and naturalist, he wrote lively, practical books on plants, gardening, and the natural world at a time when these subjects were still taking shape as modern sciences. His work helped bring botany and horticulture to a wider reading public.

3 Audiobooks

The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House, and the Delights and Profits of a Farm

The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House, and the Delights and Profits of a Farm

by Richard Bradley

The Plague at Marseilles Consider'd With Remarks Upon the Plague in General, Shewing Its Cause and Nature of Infection, with Necessary Precautions to Prevent the Speading of That Direful Distemper

The Plague at Marseilles Consider'd With Remarks Upon the Plague in General, Shewing Its Cause and Nature of Infection, with Necessary Precautions to Prevent the Speading of That Direful Distemper

by Richard Bradley

The Virtue and Use of Coffee With Regard to the Plague and Other Infectious Distempers

The Virtue and Use of Coffee With Regard to the Plague and Other Infectious Distempers

by Richard Bradley

About the author

Born around 1688, he became known as an English naturalist with a strong interest in botany, horticulture, and natural history. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and later became the first Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge.

He was a prolific writer whose books ranged from gardening advice to observations on plants and the wider natural world. Readers remember him in part for helping to spread useful botanical knowledge beyond specialist circles, and for publishing work that later historians have connected with early ecological thinking.

Although he died on November 5, 1732, his books continued to circulate after his death, showing how widely his work was read. He remains an interesting figure from a period when science, gardening, and practical household knowledge were closely linked.