The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad

<p><h2>FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2025</h2><br><br><b>An Economist Book of the Year<br></b><br><b>'An astonishing story brilliantly told . . . It is as moving as it is gripping to read'</b><br>Jonathan Dimbleby, author of <i>Endgame 1944</i><br><br><b>'A richly researched and meticulously observed account of a little-explored corner of 20th-century history'</b><br><i>Guardian</i><br><br><b>'A fantastically well-researched history of science and sacrifice saturated in drama'</b><br><i>i<br></i><br><b>WINNER OF THE CBHL LITERATURE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HISTORY<br></b><br>In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad - now St Petersburg - and began the longest blockade in recorded history. By the most conservative estimates, the siege would claim the lives of three-quarters of a million people. Most died of starvation.<br><br>At the centre of the embattled city stood a converted palace that housed the greatest living plant library ever amassed - the world's first seed bank. After attempts to evacuate the collection failed, and as supplies dwindled, the scientists responsible faced a terrible decision: should they distribute the specimens to the starving population, or preserve them in the hope that they held the key to ending global famine?<br><br>Drawing on previously unseen sources, <i>The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad </i>tells the remarkable and moving story of the botanists who remained at the Plant Institute during the darkest days of the siege, risking their lives in the name of science.<br><br><b>'A compelling account . . . a remarkable work of literary exhumation. The first full account of the Plant Institute in any language, it's a fitting testimony to an extraordinary project and the bravery of the ordinary individuals who kept it going'</b><br><i>Daily Telegraph</i><br><br><b>'A beautifully written account of one of the most extraordinary and little-known episodes of the Second World War - a scientific feat and act of collective self-sacrifice the consequences of which continue to be felt today'</b><br>Adam Higginbotham, author of <i>Challenger</i><br><br><b>'A gripping, original and important story of courage and science in wartime'</b><br>Roland Philipps, author of <i>A Spy Named Orphan</i></p>