Friends, this gnome has some exciting news! On Sunday, July 7th, we’ll be doing a special, off-cycle book-hiding adventure/scavenger hunt that will (hopefully) help some of you escape the heat. 🙂 Mark your calendars because that day, we’ll be hiding 15 copies of The Forgotten Botanist by local author Wynne Brown—and these books will be hidden along the Catalina Highway on Mount Lemmon (including both the drive up AND around Summerhaven). We hope you’ll come out and help us celebrate our beloved (and favorite!) summer escape – Mt. Lemmon (and her namesake) ❤

About the book from the University of Nebraska Press:

“The Forgotten Botanist is the account of an extraordinary woman who, in 1870, was driven by ill health to leave the East Coast for a new life in the West—alone. At thirty-three, Sara Plummer relocated to Santa Barbara, where she taught herself botany and established the town’s first library. Ten years later she married botanist John Gill Lemmon, and together the two discovered hundreds of new plant species, many of them illustrated by Sara, an accomplished artist. Although she became an acknowledged botanical expert and lecturer, Sara’s considerable contributions to scientific knowledge were credited merely as “J.G. Lemmon & wife.”

The Forgotten Botanist chronicles Sara’s remarkable life, in which she and JG found new plant species in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Mexico and traveled throughout the Southwest with such friends as John Muir and Clara Barton. Sara also found time to work as a journalist and as an activist in women’s suffrage and forest conservation.

The Forgotten Botanist is a timeless tale about a woman who discovered who she was by leaving everything behind. Her inspiring story is one of resilience, determination, and courage—and is as relevant to our nation today as it was in her own time.”

About the author, Wynne Brown (in her own words from her website!):

Hi — I’m Wynne Brown, a freelance writer, editor, and graphic designer. I’m a one-stop pre-publication shop, and I’m here to help.

As the author of three books, in addition to many newspaper and magazine articles, I’ve written on topics including science, health, history, trails, environmental issues, horses, travel, the Southwest, books, and more. My most recent book is The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon’s Life of Science and Art, released in November 2021 by University of Nebraska Press.

As an editor, I worked for six years as a copy editor at a mid-size daily newspaper. I spent another ten years editing and developing teaching materials for middle school, high school, and undergraduate science instruction. Now I edit memoirs, prescriptive nonfiction, and novels. I’m comfortable editing either in Associated Press style or according to the Chicago Manual of Style.

As an illustrator and a graphic designer, I’ve created scientific illustrations for books, journals, posters, and technical reports, as well as developing brochures, logos, and curricular materials.

I work with both large and small companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Carolina Biological Supply Company, Mayo Clinic, Golden Ink, Scripps Howard, Science Approach, and many others. I also work with individual authors who plan to submit their manuscripts to traditional publishers or who intend to publish their book independently.

Special Thanks:

The Tome Gnome would like to thank Wynne for reaching out and pitching this lovely collaboration. We are also so grateful to the University of Nebraska Press for donating 15 copies of her book for this exciting summer special book-hiding!