This week’s most noteworthy podcast episodes take up the subjects of the histories of significant plants, access to the commons in England, and a famous medical illustration.

New Books Network – Science, Technology, and Society: host Dr. Miranda Melcher interviews Dr. Stephen A. Harris about his new book 50 Plants that Changed the World (Bodleian Library Publishing, distributed by University of Chicago Press). All those interested in botany, the history of natural history, and the history of agriculture should be sure to hear this very interesting and informative interview.

Absolute Units: hosts Joe Vaughan and Ollie Douglas sit down for a lively interview with Prof. Katrina Navickas about “the history of the commons: the shared resources that communities depended upon for their livelihoods.” Prof. Navickas’ new book Contested Commons: A History of Protest and Public Space in England will be published by Reaktion Books in November 2025 and distributed by University of Chicago Press in January 2026.

New Books Network – Art: host Dr. Miranda Melcher interviews Dr. Jack Hartnell about his new book Wound Man; The Many Lives of a Surgical Image (Princeton University Press). This is a fascinating interview about a book that will be of great interest to those interested in the history of medicine as well as the history of art.

And a new podcast has been added to the Recommended Podcasts page:

BBC Radio 4‘s Rare Earth: environmental journalist Tom Heap, and physicist and oceanographer Dr. Helen Czerski “tackle major stories about our environment and wildlife, celebrate the wonder of nature, and meet the people determined to keep it wonderful.” The fact that I hadn’t already known about this podcast before now I count as a personal failing. It is both informative and very enjoyable to listen to, and should be in the podcast feed of all who are interested in natural history.

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