Which botanist published the most popular botany book of his time?
John Gerard John Gerard, also spelt John Gerarde, (c. 1545–1612) was a botanist and herbalist. He maintained a large herbal garden in London. His chief notability is as the author of a large (1,484 pages) illustrated "Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes". First published in 1597, it was the most widely circulated botany book in English in the 17th century. Except for the additions of a number of plants from his own garden and from North America, Gerard's "Herbal" is largely an unacknowledged English translation of Rembert Dodoens's herbal originally published in 1554, itself also highly popular (in Dutch, Latin, French and other English translations).
William Andrew Archer William Andrew Archer (1894–1973) was an American economic botanist; ethnobotanist, taxonomist, plant explorer, and herbarium manager. Dr. Archer earned his BSc in Biology and his Ph.D. in Botany Micology from the University of Michigan in 1926. Most of his professional career was spent at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), including his position as Curator of the National Arboretum Herbarium from 1938 to 1964. After his retirement from the USDA, Dr. Archer was appointed Research Associate in the Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). His career was marked by extensive collecting trips to Central and South America and to Africa.