Art of Botanical Illustration - Hardcover

One of the attractions of this voluminous book is its varying approach to the long and somewhat complex history of botanical illustration going back to the herbals and other illustrated books of antiquity keeping the material fresh and engaging. And all along, there are those handsome, fetching illustrations, especially the color ones.--Henry Berry"

Comprehensive and very readable historical and artistic survey of botanical illustration First published in 1950, this classic is still considered the definitive work on the subject. The book was revised and enlarged by ACC in 2000, and published to overwhelming acclaim; this is a reprint of that edition. It provides a comprehensive, critical and well-illustrated survey of the portrayal of plants through more than three thousand years. Of the first edition, the poet and gardening writer, Vita Sackville-West, after referring in The Observer to the wealth of illustration and the fascination of the text, then said, "Let no one think this is a book only for the specialist. It is essential for the specialist, certainly, but it is also for all the flower-lovers and all those who enjoy the by-ways of biography and the added attraction of good writing". Wilfrid Blunt, an artist himself, brought to it a craftsman's appreciation and knowledge gained from experience, the extensive literature and visits to many galleries on the Continent. William T. Stearn gave him much help on botanical, biographical and bibliographical matters and contributed part of the text. Professor Stearn has revised and enlarged this classic work and greatly extended the chapter on the twentieth century. This edition includes 126 color plates (more than twice as many as the original 1950 edition) and 140 black and white illustrations, thus making available to the general public numerous examples of the work of great botanical illustrators past and present.