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The Late Bloom: Ynes Mexia
Paperback
Adventurers & ExplorersBiographies General
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Publisher: Michael Webster
Published: Nov 17 2025
Pages: 172
Weight: 0.45
Height: 0.40 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
In 1925, at the age of fifty-five, Ynes Mexia-a woman haunted by personal setbacks and two failed marriages-abandoned her life of privilege to become one of the most successful botanical explorers in history.
Driven by an unyielding desire for purpose, the self-taught scientist launched a solo career that took her deep into the most remote corners of the Neotropics. Armed only with her own financial resources and an extraordinary command of logistics, she navigated the perilous Amazon headwaters and Andean cloud forests, surviving a near-fatal landslide and tropical illness to continue her work.
Over just fifteen years, Mexia collected over 145,000 specimens, identifying thousands of species new to science and fundamentally transforming the botanical map of South America. This is the definitive biography of the indomitable pioneer who shattered barriers of age and gender, proving that the greatest adventure often begins in the middle of a life. Approx.172 pages, 29800 word count
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