Amy Stewart Books

For more than three decades, this best-selling guide to the practice of vermicomposting has taught people how to use worms to recycle food waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for houseplants or gardens. Small-scale, self-contained worm bins can be kept indoors, in a basement, or even under the kitchen sink in an apartment — making vermicomposting a great option for city dwellers and anyone who doesn’t want or can’t have an outdoor compost pile. The fully revised 35th anniversary edition features the original’s same friendly tone, with up-to-date information on the entire process, from building or purchasing a bin (readily available at garden supply stores) to maintaining the worms and harvesting the finished compost.

"Inside the Cut Flower Industry. A passionate and informed look behind the scenes of the floral industry to discover the amazing and often draining journey flowers now make from seeds and bulbs to our shops, tables and vases"--Publisher's description

In The Earth Moved, Amy Stewart takes us on a journey through the underground world and introduces us to one of its most amazing denizens. The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its impact on the ecosystem is profound. It ploughs the soil, fights plant diseases, cleans up pollution, and turns ordinary dirt into fertile land. Who knew? In her witty, offbeat style, Stewart shows that much depends on the actions of the lowly worm. Charles Darwin devoted his last years to the meticulous study of these creatures, praising their remarkable abilities. With the august scientist as her inspiration, Stewart investigates the worm's subterranean realm, talks to oligochaetologists—the unsung heroes of earthworm science—who have devoted their lives to unearthing the complex life beneath our feet, and observes the thousands of worms in her own garden. From the legendary giant Australian worm that stretches to ten feet in length to the modest nightcrawler that wormed its way into the heart of Darwin's last book to the energetic red wigglers in Stewart's compost bin, The Earth Moved gives worms their due and exposes their hidden and extraordinary universe. This book is for all of us who appreciate Mother Nature's creatures, no matter how humble.

An intoxicating and eclectic new book on the hidden botany behind your favourite booze!

Best-selling author Amy Stewart edits this year’s volume of the finest science and nature writing.

Life after the war takes an unexpected turn for theKopp sisters, but soon enough, they are putting their unique detective skills to use in new and daringways.

Did you know there are zombie bugs that not only eat other bugs but also inhabit and control their bodies? There's even a wasp that delivers a perfectly-placed sting in a cockroach's brain and then leads the roach around by its antennae -- like a dog on a leash. Scorpions glow in ultraviolet light.

The indomitable Kopp sisters are tested at home and abroad in this warm and witty tale of wartime courage and camaraderie.

The Essential, New York Times–Bestselling Guide to Botany and Booze “A book that makes familiar drinks seem new again . . . Through this horticultural lens, a mixed drink becomes a cornucopia of plants.”—NPR's Morning Edition “Amy Stewart has a way of making gardening seem exciting, even a little dangerous.” —The New York Times Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet? In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries. Of all the extraordinary and obscure plants that have been fermented and distilled, a few are dangerous, some are downright bizarre, and one is as ancient as dinosaurs—but each represents a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. This fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology—with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners—will make you the most popular guest at any cocktail party.

The feisty, fiery Kopp sisters are back in another unforgettable romp by HWA-longlisted international bestseller Amy Stewart. When deputy sheriff Constance Kopp notices how many young women are being jailed over dubious charges of waywardness, incorrigibility, and moral depravity, she smells a rat. But what can she do to fight the forces of sexism? And how will her principles fare when her own sister, Fleurette, starts misbehaving? Against the backdrop of the First World War, and drawn once again from the true story of the Kopp sisters, Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessionsis a spirited page-turner that will delight fans of historical fiction and light-hearted detective fiction alike.