By Any Other Name: A Cultural History of the Rose

Description

The rose is bursting with meaning: over the centuries it has come to represent love and sensuality, deceit, death and the mystical unknown. Today the rose enjoys unrivalled popularity across the globe, ever present at life's seminal moments. Grown in the Middle East two thousand years ago for its pleasing scent and medicinal properties, it has attached itself to us, its needy host and servant, to become one of the most adored flowers across cultures. The rose is well-versed at enchanting human hearts - no longer selected by nature, but by us. From Bulgaria's Rose Valley to the thriving rose trade in Africa and the Far East, via art galleries, museums and high fashion, Victorian England and Belle Epoque France, we meet an astonishing array of species and hybrids of remarkably different provenance. This is the story of a hardy, thorny flower and how, by beauty and charm, it came to seduce the world.

Dr Simon Morley is a British artist and modern historian who specializes in the theory and practice of contemporary painting. He is the author of several books on modern and contemporary art. His essays have been published in the TLS, Modern Painters, Tate Magazine and the Independent on Sunday. Previously a lecturer at the Sotheby's Institute and at Winchester School of Art, he is now Assistant Professor of Fine Art at Dankook University, Republic of Korea. He is also a keen amateur gardener.

'Fascinating material, surveyed with relish and acumen.' -- Times Literary Supplement 'Fascinating. Morley moves effortlessly from ancient Greece and Rome to the latest research in neurobiology, taking in alchemy and Pre-Raphaelite art, Modernist poetry and the Grateful Dead along the way. I'll never look at a rose in quite the same way again.' -- Adrian Tinniswood, author of Behind the Throne 'Morley's book is, in part, the story of how humans came to raise roses so consistently and abundantly that we demand them even in freezing February. First, though, By Any Other Name recounts the love affair with a flower that drove us to want to do that in the first place.' -- Wall Street Journal 'An intellectual and artistic journey... digging around the history of how roses have become entangled with human life. By Any Other Name will be a source of inspiration for us.' -- Kim Wook-Kyun, President of the South Korea Rose Society 'Quite brilliant... A powerful reminder of how humanity simply cannot exist without the support of nature's beauty represented by this simple shrub.' -- Jonny Norton, Head Gardener at Mottisfont Abbey 'By Any Other Name...explores the many facets that make the rose stand out from the rest. Morley expertly crafts the story of the rose from its humble beginnings to its present reality.' * Washington Gardener * 'From the etymology of its name to the breeders' search for perfection, via its role in poetry, prose and art, rose growers with a penchant for learning will find this a satisfying read.' -- Choice