|
Eden
Paperback
Main Details
| Title |
Eden
|
| Authors and Contributors |
By (author) Tim Smit
|
| Physical Properties |
| Format:Paperback | | Pages:329 | | Dimensions(mm): Height 178,Width 111 |
|
| Category/Genre | Botany and plant sciences
Gardens (descriptions, history etc) |
|---|
| ISBN/Barcode |
9780552149204
|
| Classifications | Dewey:712.5094237 |
|---|
| Audience | |
|---|
| Edition |
New edition
|
| Illustrations |
32 colour photos
|
|
Publishing Details |
| Publisher |
Transworld Publishers Ltd
|
| Imprint |
Corgi Books
|
| Publication Date |
2 September 2002 |
| Publication Country |
United Kingdom
|
Description
Tim Smit says we should "Demand the impossible", and in a disused china clay pit in Cornwall, the impossible has been delivered - a living theatre of plants and people and their interdependence, contained in the world's largest greenhouses. This is the story of the Eden Project, told by its creator, Tim Smit, from its genesis in the Lost Gardens of Heligan, its design and construction against the odds, the personalities of the team, the energy that brought the vision to life, and the future for the Eden Project.
Author Biography
Tim Smit is Chief Executive and co-founder of the Eden Project, near St Austell in Cornwall. He is also on the board of the Prince's Trust Business division, a member of the Cornwall Gardens Trust and a Director of Kneehigh Theatre. He recently chaired the Landscape Heritage Trust's feasibility study of urban parks and gardens throughout the UK and presented their findings to the government Select Committee on the Environment. In 2000 he was given the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism in the UK Award by the English Tourism Council. He lives with his wife and family in Cornwall.
ReviewsKirkus Review US:The Eden Project in Cornwall, a giant conservatory built in a china clay pit, has been an overwhelming success. The largest building in the world designed for growing plants, it attracts thousands of visitors weekly and has been shortlisted for an architectural award. The man who initiated the project is Tim Smit, formerly known for his restoration of a neglected garden nearby at Heligan, and here he writes about the conception and creation of this outstanding achievement. He starts by explaining the germ of the idea and then, step by step, he describes the search for a suitable site, the planning meetings, the attempts to raise capital, the creation of a team, the patching together of finance and much more. In his introduction he writes, 'I make no apology for some of the boring bits about how we got from A to B' and halfway through the book he announces, 'The build-up to the build-up is nearly over.' However, it is not until two-thirds of the book is behind us that the actual building work begins and only in the last 40 pages is the planting described. Most of the book reads like a personal memoir and has the feel of an in-house publication, of more archival than general interest. This is a worthy book but a slow read. It also suffers from not being able to decide whether the focus is on the text or the pictures. There are some good photographs but there are also some very dull ones of the many people mentioned in the text. The designer has done a good job as far as he can, especially with the front cover and the chapter-openers. The Eden Project deserves an exciting and involving book to be written about it, but unfortunately this is not it. (Kirkus UK)
|
