Botanical Revelation: European encounters with Australian plants before Darwin

Description

Acclaimed author David Mabberley provides a ground-breaking analysis of early European understanding of Australia's flora. Combining science, horticulture, art and economics, this lavishly illustrated book - with many neverbefore-published images - reveals the motives and complex networks that led to the international spread of knowledge and cultivation of hundreds of Australian plants in Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Based on the superb Peter Crossing Collection, Botanical Revelation documents a revolutionary phase in the understanding of Australia's flora and science more generally. 'Botanical Revelation is a hugely impressive endeavour by renowned academic and field botanist David Mabberley...[the book] graphically brings to the forefront the centrality of botany and of botanical illustration to the story of European colonialism.' - Rory Dusoir, Gardens Illustrated 'This beautifullly illustrated book gives an account of some of the first artists to capture the beauty of our plant life and what they made of it...It is a feast for the eyes and for the botanical mind.' - Troy Lennon, The Daily Telegraph 'With such a rich resource of fine botanical artwork and books to draw on, supplemented with the original specimens from herbariums, Botanical Revelation can be aptly described as a lavish and magnificent hardback production...It is impossible to do full justice to the breadth and detail of the entertaining stories of Australian botany scattered through this beautiful and impeccably produced book. Like the plants it represents, Botanical Revelation will be a treasured addition to many collections, and it makes a fine contribution to Australian botanical history.' - Danielle Clode, Australian Book Review 'The 372 pages of lucid academic text are meticulously illustrated by a wealth of mesmerising drawings made by a range of gifted and dedicated artists...an engrossing reference, and a joy to behold.' - The Australian 'This visually beautiful book with many illustrations, including exquisite botanical drawings, provides a comprehensive analysis of international understanding and appreciation of Australia's native flora.' - Gardening Australia

David J Mabberley is a botanist, educator and writer, best known for The Plant-Book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, Their Classification and Uses. He has held a range of academic positions in Australia, Europe and the US, and worked with leading horticultural and botanical organisations around the world. He is also the author of Painting by Numbers: The Life and Art of Ferdinand Bauer.

"A hugely impressive endeavour [...] all efforts to delve into this book will be more than amply repaid." - Gardens Illustrated