From Library Journal
Librarian and archivist of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Elliott (Victorian Gardens) presents spectacular examples of five centuries of botanical illustration taken from drawings and printed works in the RHS's collection. These are organized into five chapters corresponding to the five great sources of garden plants: Europe, the Turkish Empire, Africa, the Americas, and Asia and Australasia. Elliott introduces each chapter with a description of how the influx of new flowers from each area was incorporated into gardens and gardening design in Britain. His brief text for each of the beautiful, oversize illustrations focuses on the plants themselves; how and when they were first discovered, described, and named; how they were used; and how their popularity waxed and waned. This book makes no attempt to be a history of botanical illustration; indeed, the one flaw is that the sources of the illustrations are relegated to a list at the back of the book. The book concludes with a useful essay on plant names through history and short biographies of the illustrators. Recommended for all larger gardening collections. Daniel Starr, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
At first glance, this gorgeous volume appears to be an art book, but the nature of its art, hundreds of superior botanical illustrations reaching back several centuries and chronicling nearly 500 years of plant exploration and horticultural experimentation, defines it as a work of science history. Elliott, librarian and archivist at the Royal Horticultural Society, focuses not on plant hunters but on the plants themselves, summarizing stories of a botanical diaspora that changed the flora of Europe and the style and mission of gardens. The "first great wave of plant introductions" arrived in Western Europe from Turkey in the mid-sixteenth century, bringing hyacinths and tulips. The Americas were also a fertile source for flowering plants such as sunflowers and zinnias, and floras from Africa (crinums), Asia (irises and chrysanthemums), and Australia (banksias) were embraced with equal fervor. Each precise yet expressive illustration is accompanied by a capsule history of the plant's introduction, reception, and use, and the reader is left in awe of nature's endless variations on the themes of beauty, adaptation, and procreation. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


From Book News, Inc.
Elliott, the librarian and archivist of Great Britain's Royal Horticultural Society, recounts the story of the evolution of the garden flower, based on the extraordinary botanical illustrations, painted by some of the great names in botanical art and now held at the Society's Lindley Library. The volume presents a selection of drawings of plants from Europe, the Turkish Empire, Africa, the Americas, and Asia and Australasia, with an introductory essay on the collections made in each area. Superbly and plentifully illustrated in color, with some b&w etchings and engravings. Very reasonably priced for the quality of the illustrations, each accompanied by informative captions. 11x13.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Valerie Berenyi, Calgary Herald 11/30/2003
Tells the stories of intrepid plant hunters... lovely botanical illustrations.


Robert Howard, Hamilton Spectator 12/01/2003
Knowledgeable and approachable, but the point here is the paintings. The colors are transcendent and their forms and shape exquisite.

ANNOTATION

History of botanical illustration accompanied by 300 color illustrations and biographies of their illustrators. Illustrations from the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library collection.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"For hundreds of years, as Europe explored the world beyond its shores, intrepid adventurers, botanists and plant hunters sent back seeds and specimens of the thousands of flowers they came across on their travels. In Britain in particular, many nurserymen and aristocratic garden lovers set about experimenting with each new influx of botanical material, to create the garden flowers we know today. Flora tells the fascinating story of this evolution, drawing on the superb archive of the Royal Horticultural Society." The illustrations within are notable not only for their historical value in charting the fascinating development of garden flowers, but also for their beauty, including works by the great names in botanical art.

SYNOPSIS

Elliott, the librarian and archivist of Great Britain's Royal Horticultural Society, recounts the story of the evolution of the garden flower, based on the extraordinary botanical illustrations, painted by some of the great names in botanical art and now held at the Society's Lindley Library. The volume presents a selection of drawings of plants from Europe, the Turkish Empire, Africa, the Americas, and Asia and Australasia, with an introductory essay on the collections made in each area. Superbly and plentifully illustrated in color, with some B&W etchings and engravings. Very reasonably priced for the quality of the illustrations, each accompanied by informative captions. 11x13". Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

FROM THE CRITICS

Economist

A fascinating work of reference as well as a joy to behold.

Raymond Sokolov - Wall Street Journal

Not a work of technical botany, but rests on deep knowledge enlivened by pictures by careful and often inspired artists.

Verlyn Klinkenborg - New York Times Book Review

It's as though we were able to see the plant as it appeared on its first introduction.

Adrian Higgins - The Washington Post Book World

A pleasurable journey through the history of botany and horticulture.

Detroit News