One of the most striking horticultural developments of recent years has been the reappearance of the so-called old roses, which almost vanished when the first hybrid tea rose was cultivated in 1867. This text is the story of these flowers which have persisted for centuries and of the unlikely band of experts who rescued them. Seeking the elusive roses from the East Coast of the United States to the West and across the ocean to Britain, Christopher rose-rustled in snakeproof boots along La Bahia trail in Texas, mined the "Mother-Lode Highway" in California and visited the world's foremost authority on old roses, Graham Thomas, in Surrey. During his travels, he encountered a number of memorable human beings, united only in their devotion to the flowers, as well as many of the roses themselves which are described in this book.