Alfred Smee (1818-1877) was a doctor, scientist and inventor and also a businessman, campaigner and horticulturalist. His inventions led to his election at age 22 to a Fellowship of the Royal Society. He developed nonfading ink for the Bank of England and better techniques for printing banknotes. Some of his insights into the brain were echoed a century later in computational science. He was chairman of several companies, campaigned for better water and sewage services in London and stood for Parliament. His passion was plants and gardens, and he created a garden of eight acres which he stocked with plants he collected from far and wide. His wide-ranging, full and successful life has now been chronicled by his great-great-grandson, John Odling-Smee.