I kept trying to get into this one, but, much like many of the other reviews are saying, it was quite exhausting to stay with. My mind is not up to this task so I am abandoning this one for now.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook, even though it ended up not being for me, it was very much appreciated. All thoughts and feelings are, of course, my own.

This book was not an easy read – but it was filled with so much interesting information, that it was well worth the time it took to get through it. As a New Zealander, I had heard of Joseph Banks, and knew that he had travelled with Cook on the Endeavor to NZ and Australia, and that he was a botanist – but I had no idea about how many other things he was involved in, how influential he was in Georgian Britain, and the enormous contributions that he made to sciences.
Banks came from a rich, but non-aristocratic, family. He had an insatiable curiosity that remained with him throughout his life:
“Banks became an acknowledged expert on a wide range of subjects including agriculture, botanic gardens, canals, cartography, coinage, colonisation, currency, drainage, earthquakes, economic botany, exploration, farming, leather-tanning, Merino sheep, plant pathology and even the plucking of geese”
He was largely self-taught, but corresponded – and collaborated with – leading scientists across the world. He believed that
“international science should rise above international conflict with the memorable phrase that ‘the science of two Nations may be at Peace while their politics are at War’.”
He was responsible for turning Kew Gardens into the world leading botanical research and plant repository that it is today, and started botanical gardens (off-shoots of Kew) in many British overseas colonies. He left behind invaluable herbarium collections, and either wrote himself – or instigated the writing of – a multitude of scientific papers, mostly on botany.
He was apolitical, but worked with, and advised, politicians, government, scientists and the monarchy. Banks made friends and allies from all walks of life – from King George III to impoverished scientists, to Pacific Islanders. He valued diplomacy over use of force, and intelligence over wealth or precedence. He is still today, the longest serving president of the Royal Society. On becoming president in 1778:
“Banks now set down two new rules: ‘That any person who had successfully cultivated science, especially by original investigations, should be admitted, whatever might be his rank or fortune ’, and ‘That men of wealth or station, disposed to promote, adorn and patronise science should, with due caution and deliberation, be allowed to enter’. Ever the pragmatist, Banks had quickly realised that while wealthy, influential Fellows did not necessarily make good scientists, they could pay their membership fees. And together the sum was greater than the parts: scientific advances were made, the less-affluent found patrons, the Society’s costs were met and the powerful gave access to influence.”
Although he was given to inveigling funds and resources (from the Admiralty in particular) for his research into the natural world, he invariably provided a significant part of the money required from his private purse.
With his expeditions to New Foundland, Iceland and with Captain Cook, Banks set the standard for scientific exploration for centuries to come. Although after his trip to Iceland, he seldom made international forays himself, he was behind the planning for many exploratory trips – to Australia, the Americas, Asia and Africa.
“his memberships and personality enabled Banks to develop, nurture and expand a huge network of personal friendships and/or professional associates; and it was by means of his perspicacious orchestration of this network of royalty, nobles, politicians, civil servants, naval and military personnel, businessmen, scientists, farmers, engineers, skilled craftsmen, etc., that Banks was able to influence policy on a national, colonial and international level.”
He was at all times looking for ways to improve the fortunes of Britain, and to advance scientific thought.
If there were a public statue of Banks, it is highly likely – given the current mood – that there would be pressure to tear it down. He was morally against slavery – but did attempt to supply slave owners with cheap food for their slaves, as he could see that Britain was benefitting financially from the slave trade. He was behind the establishment (and initial running) of the penal colony in Botany Bay, Australia, and the annexation of a number of colonies for Britain, leading to the exploitation and degradation of native populations such as the Maori and Aborigines. His idea of cataloguing living species, was to kill them, and – once catalogued and drawn – if possible, eat them. I cringed to learn that the Endeavour crew frequently dined on Albatross!
But he was – for his time – an enlightened man, without whom the scientific world would be a much poorer place.
So, the subject matter of this book is fascinating. It is well researched, with very full references everywhere, and would be ideal for a serious historian. But, the countless references and the minutae make it difficult to read as the prose does not flow. Additionally, quote marks are used inconsistently. You often know Banks (not particularly literate) is being quoted only because the spelling, punctuation and literacy is suddenly of very low standard. I read this book as an ARC on Kindle – there were many illustrations referred to, to which I had no access. They would have made the book much more enjoyable, and I am sure they will be in the published book.
Hence, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about this amazing man – but, not to people wanting an easy, enjoyable read.
Finally:
“Banks’s greatest achievement was therefore the establishment of new methodologies for advancing science (and thus improvement) within his time, by means of devising, organising and conducting diverse vehicles of progress – including, notably, voyages of discovery, the establishment of new institutions and the invigoration of existing ones, and partnerships with government; and by the application to them of high standards of knowledge, co-operation, organisation, management and dissemination. He was able to achieve so much exactly because he was of his time, and simultaneously very much his own man.”

This is a great account of one of the 18th century’s most fascinating characters. Partly due to not being associated with one big discovery, Joseph Banks is less known than some of his contemporaries. Yet as the subtitle of garden historian Toby Musgrave’s book, Banks was the natural historian who shaped the world in so many ways. I hope this new book gets a wide readership as Banks really should be better known.

The man had so many fingers in so many pies, it’s as if he belonged to the earlier era of Natural Philosophers rather than single discipline scientists and perhaps that’s one of the reasons why he is sometimes referred to as jack of all trades. I’d first read about him in an account of Cook’s first voyage on the Endeavour some years ago and was intrigued. I later learned he established Kew Gardens, was the longest serving president of Royal Society, instrumental in sponsoring Mungo Park’s explorations in Africa. I also knew that he had lots of critics so I was really keen to read Musgrave’s account of his life and work.

Musgrave’s view is very well balanced. It’s not all unreserved praise as Banks could be despotic and authoritarian on occasion. For example, he was going to join Cook on his second voyage but quit in protest when his specially designed cabin for plants situated on deck made the ship unseaworthy. The cabin had to go so Banks threw a fit. He remained friends with Cook for life though and kept a portrait of him in his library. Of course, Cook’s voyages are quite controversial because of subsequent colonisation and exploitation and subjugation of native populations. Musgrove addresses some of these issues. Banks was undoubtedly a colonialist and Musgrave puts his views in context as a man of his time, which is not an apology.

I very much enjoyed learning more about the early years of Kew, Banks’s vision and plans for the gardens and the plant hunters he would send on sometimes extremely perilous botanising trips around the world. As I write, Kew has reopened following the lockdown and I can’t wait to visit again. Quite a chunk of the book is dedicated to Banks’s association with Kew and it is worth reading the book for this alone, especially now that so many plant species are threatened and Kew (and Wakehurst) remain committed to preserving and propagating as many as possible.

If I had one small criticism, it is that the last part of the book reads a bit too much like an endless list and is a little dry. Still, I thought it very good overall.

My thanks to Yale University Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Multifarous Mr Banks.

I am ashamed to say that I had not heard of Joseph Banks, in spite of my interest not only in Enlightenment thinking but also in most of the subjects that occupied Banks throughout his exciting life.
After having been a bit confused by the first chapter, in which the Banks family history is set out, I discovered that the rest of this biography is a great read. It is something of a travelogue, has details of Bank's many contributions to the development of the natural sciences, especially botany, and touches on his involvement in the development of the British Empire and government policies at that time. There are fascinating small details of his various escapades and of his (now) more famous British and foreign contemporaries, all written in a very accessible style.
With many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this absorbing book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NETGALLEY for providing me with an ARC of this book before publication in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very thorough exploration of Joseph Banks' scientific and intellectual contributions to British history. It is easy to follow in spite of it dealing with dense scientific information, and all of Musgrave's main ideas are conveyed clearly and convincingly in a well-organised manner. All in all, this biography fulfils its objective and makes academic scientific history accessible to all readership.

I am a literary historian specialised in the eighteenth century, so many of the names of the people who knew and interacted with Banks rang a bell. There are a lot of these characters, all of whom were leading figures in their respective fields, and perhaps due to this overabundance, they are reduced to their names, a few accompanying biographical facts unable to integrate them in the narrative. Similarly, and again, I believe this is due to the massive amount of information Musgrave is able to manage, at times the reader feels lost in a sea of information (definitely too many sheep!), and the reading becomes less lively. Finally, I believe it is important to note that Banks' role in the colonial expansion is acknowledged, but not dealt with (which, in turn, is also acknowledged, although it didn't completely convince me). Nevertheless, this biography makes an important contribution to its field.