Enfilade

From Reaktion, with additional distribution by The University of Chicago Press:

Stephen Harris, The Beauty of the Flower: The Art and Science of Botanical Illustration (London: Reaktion Books, 2023), 336 pages, ISBN: 97-81789147803, £30 / $45.

Featuring superb and rare images, this book reveals the fascinating stories behind botanical illustration.

In a world flooded with images designed to create memories, validate perceptions and influence others, botanical illustration is about creating technically accurate depictions of plants. Reproductions of centuries-old botanical illustrations frequently adorn greetings cards, pottery and advertising, to promote heritage or generate income, yet their art is scientific: its purpose is to record, display and transmit scientific data. The Beauty of the Flower shows us how scientific botanical illustrations are collaborations among artists, scientists and publishers. It explores the evolution and interchanges of these illustrations since the mid-fifteenth century, the ways in which they have been used to communicate scientific ideas about plants and how views of botanical imagery change. Featuring unique images rarely seen outside of specialist literature this book reveals the fascinating stories behind these remarkable illustrations.

Stephen A. Harris is an Associate Professor of Plant Sciences and curator of the herbarium at the University of Oxford. His books include Sunflowers (Reaktion, 2018) and Roots to Seeds: 400 Years of Oxford Botany (2021).

c o n t e n t s

Preface
1  Plant and Page
2  Themes and Trends
3  Science and Illustration
4  Blood and Treasure
5  Garden and Grove
6  Inside and Out
7  Habit and Habitat
8  Observe and Test
9  Sweat and Tears

Appendix: Plant Names
References
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index