annieb123's Review of The RHS Book of Flower Poetry and Prose

by Charles Elliott

Artists and writers alike have always been drawn to flowers. As sources of inspiration or simple enjoyment, flowers have been responsible over the centuries for many of our greatest and most memorable works of art, works that echo and preserve – in words and in line and colour – the particular beauties of their subjects. This volume brings together a personal selection of poetry and prose from a broad range of writers, from Shakespeare and Milton, to Reginald Farrer and Edward Augustus Bowles, to twentieth-century poets such as Marianne Moore and Theodore Roethke. Familiar wild and garden flowers are here explored in all their moods and mysteries.
The poems and extracts are illustrated with botanical prints from the remarkable collection of artworks at the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library, acknowledged as the world's finest horticultural library.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The RHS Book of Flower Poetry and Prose is a beautifully curated collection of poetry and short prose excerpts accompanied by garden related images from the RHS' Lindley Library collection. First published in 2006, this reformat and re-release is due out 9th March 2021 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint. It's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such a restful and pretty book. The images are varied and beautiful and the text selections are well curated. The text and images are related to specific flowers, from the humble violet to the noble rose. There are selections from incomparably famous poets and writers as well as ones who were previously unfamiliar to me. The illustrations are mostly 18th-early 20th century botanical prints.

The book also includes a couple of useful appendices in the form of first lines from the included offerings along with an image index.

This would make a superlative gift for a gardening friend (or oneself), as well as a lovely acquisition for public library, and gardening club lending library use.

Five stars, with the codicil that the re-read value might be somewhat limited.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The RHS Book of Flower Poetry and Prose

by Charles Elliott

Reviewed by annieb123 on Feb 21, 2021

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