Plant by Phaidon Editors

Plant by Phaidon Editors

This book came out in 2016, and the subtitle is Exploring the Botanical World.

This book is gorgeous. You might remember it - it's got a black background and then a simple blossom design where each of the leaves is made with a different fabric type, making for a magnificent cover.

Now, of course, like all Phaidon books, this book is so visually appealing, from the cover to the inside of the book. The whole point is to show plants' beauty and diversity through 300 works of botanical art that date from ancient times to modern times.

You'll see plants and flowers and the entire botanical world portrayed using various mediums.

Phaidon did a great job curating all of these images. This is the first book to pull together botanical art across so many different media types, from such a broad timeline, and from every corner of the globe.

Phaidon also gathered experts, museum curators, horticulturists, historians, botanists, and more. Then, they had each of them contribute their expertise in creating the text for this book.

I love what Gardens Illustrated wrote about this book:

A dazzling collection of more than 300 images of plants that brings the evolution of botanical art right into the 21st century... Alongside old favourites, such as Redoute and Mary Delany, there is much here that is both unfamiliar and arresting... An extraordinary collection. 

Indeed. Be prepared to be swept off your feet by Plant.

You will:

• Witness the captivating waltz of a Minoan fresco from 1600 BC with a hand-colored electron microscope scan!
• Marvel at the delicate whispers of Van Gogh's pencil drawings, as they dance alongside the bold pronouncements of a Napoleonic, rose print. 
• Lose yourself in the rich tapestry of botanical art, from ancient engravings to cutting-edge scientific imagery.
• Each turn of the page unveils a new wonder, a fresh perspective on the captivating world of flora.

This book, which contains 352 pages of botanical art, gives us a new appreciation and understanding of plants and their role in our history and culture.

You can get a copy of Plant: Exploring the Botanical World by Phaidon Editors and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $17.