An exquisitely illustrated volume in celebration of the world's foremost library of botanical works The renowned LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden counts among its holdings many of the most beautiful and pioneering botanical and horticultural works ever created. More than eight centuries of knowledge, from the twelfth century to the present, are represented in the library's collection of over one million items. In this sumptuously illustrated volume, international experts introduce us to some of the library's most fascinating works-exceedingly rare books, stunning botanical artworks, handwritten manuscripts, Renaissance herbals, nursery catalogs, explorers' notebooks, and more. The contributors hold these treasures up for close inspection and offer surprising insights into their histories and importance. The diverse materials showcased in the volume reflect the creative efforts of eminent explorers, scientists, artists, publishers, and print makers. From the rare, illuminated pages of Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia (1483), to the earliest book ever published on American insects (1797), to lovely etchings of the water gardens at Villa Pratolino in Florence (1600s), the Mertz Library holdings will inspire in readers a new appreciation for the extraordinary history of botany and its far-reaching connections to the worlds of science, books, art, and culture. A co-publication with The New York Botanical Garden

Botanica Magnifica features two hundred and fifty stunning photographs of rare and exotic plants and flowers by Hasselblad Laureate Award winner Jonathan Singer. Botanica Magnifica features two hundred and fifty stunning photographs by Hasselblad Laureate Award winner Jonathan Singer, representing-in the words of an ARTnews critic-rare or exotic plants and flowers "in large scale and exquisite detail, emerging from the shadows in a manner evocative of Old Master paintings." The original edition of Botanica Magnifica, consisting of five lavishly hand-bound volumes, was limited to just ten copies, the first of which was recently donated to the Smithsonian Institution. The extra-large "double-elephant" format of that edition was chosen in homage to the famous double-elephant folio of The Birds of America, and indeed, Botanica Magnifica is one of the few works of natural history ever to rival Audubon's magnum opus in its scope and artistry. In praise of the double-elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica, the Smithsonian's Chairman of Botany attested, "Everyone who has seen the photographs . . . has been tremendously impressed with the power, scale, and depth of the work." Now Singer's remarkable images are available to the public for the first time in this baby-elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica. Like the larger edition, this volume is organized into five alphabetically arranged sections, each introduced by a gatefold page that displays one extraordinary plant at a luxurious size. Each pictured plant is accompanied by a clear and accessible description of its botany, geography, folklore, history, and conservation. With its marvelous reproductions and fascinating text, the baby-elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica is one of the most impressive volumes of natural history ever published. This volume is also available in a leatherbound, slipcased edition.

Unattainable North Korean Art curates a collection of paintings from fifty-eight artists from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ("DPRK"). Centring on the theme of nature, the paintings portray geographical sites and citizens of DPRK. Art and literature feature as a poignant role in inspiring the DPRK people to contribute to the development of DPRK, the collection not only exhibits the artistic skills of the artists, but offers an opportunity to discover DPRK from the people's perspective.

Botanical gardens brought together the great diversity of the Earth's flora. They displaced nature from forest and foothill and re-arranged it to reveal something of the scientific principles underpinning the apparent chaos of the wild. Through a study of three botanical gardens, belonging to the University of Cambridge, the Royal Dublin Society and the Belfast Natural History Society, this book shows how the design and display of such gardens was not determined by scientific principles alone. It explores how the final outcome involved a complex interplay of ideas about place, identity, empire, botanical science and aesthetics, creating spaces that would educate the mind as well as please the senses. This highly engaging book offers a wealth of fresh insights into both the history and development of botanical gardens as well as connections between science and aesthetics.

This stunning series of pocketbooks from Kew offers a snapshot into the diverse and beautiful world of plants. Kew Pocketbooks: Wildflowers lavishly showcases a meadow's worth of familiar plants in 40 botanical paintings. Kew Pocketbooks: Wildflowers is a celebration of the natural bounty around us, offering a meadow's worth of familiar plants including foxgloves, poppies, dandelion, ivy, daisy, bluebells and orchids, and many more. 40 delightful botanical paintings from the Kew archives depict these classic plants.

This is a revised edition of the bestselling book about the life and work of artist and musician Rory McEwen (1932-82). A legend in his lifetime and still admired thirty years after his death, his main legacy is the wonderfully luminous and detailed flower paintings he produced throughout his life, of anemones, auriculas, tulips, fritillaries, and of often battered, dying leaves or mouldering vegetables.