My Father in His Suitcase: In Search of E.J.H Corner, the Relentless Botanist

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by John Corner

John (Kay) Corner left home in 1960, aged 19. He would never see his father, E. J. H. Corner, again.

Edred John Henry Corner was one of the most colourful and productive biologists and mycologists of the 20th century. His career began in 1929 as Assistant Director of the Straits Settlements Singapore Botanic Gardens, where he trained monkeys to collect specimens from the treetops of the rainforest, and published Wayside Trees of Malaya, a classic field guide interspersed with his delightful and idiosyncratic observations on plant life. He was key in the creation of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a 163- hectare plot that contains more tree species than the whole of North America.

When war came, he considered it his responsibility to safeguard the scientific and cultural collections of Singapore during the Japanese Occupation, but was branded by some as a collaborator.

Post-war, after heading the ambitious UNESCO Hylean Amazon Project, he returned to Cambridge University and was appointed Professor of Tropical Botany in 1965. There he propounded his theory that the Durian represented an ancestral type of angiosperm tree. He was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society, where he promoted the conservation of tropical forests and led expeditions to the British Solomon Islands and Mount Kinabalu. For the latter, he proposed Kinabalu Park which led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After 46 years, John Corner faces his estranged father in a suitcase marked: ‘For Kay, wherever he might be.’ The letters, pictures and other memorabilia that spill out led him to search for the father he hardly knew, resulting in an engaging and frank biography of an eminent scientist who put science above all, including his family.

Size: 134 x 215 mm
Extent: 452 pages + 48 pages plates
Binding: Paperback
Weight: 730 g
ISBN: 978-981-4189-47-7

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by John Corner

John (Kay) Corner left home in 1960, aged 19. He would never see his father, E. J. H. Corner, again.

Edred John Henry Corner was one of the most colourful and productive biologists and mycologists of the 20th century. His career began in 1929 as Assistant Director of the Straits Settlements Singapore Botanic Gardens, where he trained monkeys to collect specimens from the treetops of the rainforest, and published Wayside Trees of Malaya, a classic field guide interspersed with his delightful and idiosyncratic observations on plant life. He was key in the creation of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a 163- hectare plot that contains more tree species than the whole of North America.

When war came, he considered it his responsibility to safeguard the scientific and cultural collections of Singapore during the Japanese Occupation, but was branded by some as a collaborator.

Post-war, after heading the ambitious UNESCO Hylean Amazon Project, he returned to Cambridge University and was appointed Professor of Tropical Botany in 1965. There he propounded his theory that the Durian represented an ancestral type of angiosperm tree. He was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society, where he promoted the conservation of tropical forests and led expeditions to the British Solomon Islands and Mount Kinabalu. For the latter, he proposed Kinabalu Park which led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After 46 years, John Corner faces his estranged father in a suitcase marked: ‘For Kay, wherever he might be.’ The letters, pictures and other memorabilia that spill out led him to search for the father he hardly knew, resulting in an engaging and frank biography of an eminent scientist who put science above all, including his family.

Size: 134 x 215 mm
Extent: 452 pages + 48 pages plates
Binding: Paperback
Weight: 730 g
ISBN: 978-981-4189-47-7

📖 Preview Book

Reviews

This superbly written biography is as much a work of scholarship as it is an emotional roller coaster, both for writer and reader. – Dr Nigel Taylor, Director, Singapore Botanic Gardens

The book explores… the many inconsistencies and secrets of his father’s life, of which most people only know snippets and not the full story. – Roy Watling, M.B.E., PhD, FRSE., FLS., FSB., C.Biol.

From Goodreads

John Corner has written an extraordinary book… While this book is about a particular man in a particular time, it is a deeper meditation on father-son relationships. – Mike Shanahan, author, Goodreads

With meticulous detail and impeccable research spanning seven years, John K. Corner documents and analyses the incredible life of a complex, clever and exceptional man.

A remarkable book that can be recommended to anyone who enjoys a good story that offers deeper insights into the nature of humanity… the unfolding story, in all its complexity, would be worthy of an epic film.

A remarkable, fascinating, and a deeply moving story about the father that John never knew and the father who put science before all of his family.