author
S. Leonard Bastin
A nature writer with a gift for making botany feel lively and surprising, he introduced general readers to the strange ingenuity of plants. His books turn ferns, flowers, and everyday greenery into subjects of real curiosity.
1 Audiobook
How to Know the Ferns
by S. Leonard Bastin
About the author
Samuel Leonard Bastin was an English journalist and natural history writer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Available library and archival records identify him with strong ties to Christchurch and the Bournemouth area, and describe him as a contributor to The Strand Magazine.
He is best remembered for accessible works on plant life, including Wonders of Plant Life, Flowerless Plants: How and Where They Grow, and How to Know the Ferns. His writing is noted for bringing botany to non-specialist readers, focusing on the odd, clever, and often overlooked ways plants survive and adapt.
Some biographical details remain uncertain in the sources currently available, including the exact dates usually given for his life. The most consistent record places him around 1880 to 1947. No clearly verified portrait image was found from the sources reviewed.