The Flower of Empire

The Flower of Empire PDF Author: Tatiana Holway
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199911169
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 339

Get Book Here

Book Description
In 1837, while charting the Amazonian country of Guiana for Great Britain, German naturalist Robert Schomburgk discovered an astounding "vegetable wonder"--a huge water lily whose leaves were five or six feet across and whose flowers were dazzlingly white. In England, a horticultural nation with a mania for gardens and flowers, news of the discovery sparked a race to bring a live specimen back, and to bring it to bloom. In this extraordinary plant, named Victoria regia for the newly crowned queen, the flower-obsessed British had found their beau ideal. In The Flower of Empire, Tatiana Holway tells the story of this magnificent lily, revealing how it touched nearly every aspect of Victorian life, art, and culture. Holway's colorful narrative captures the sensation stirred by Victoria regia in England, particularly the intense race among prominent Britons to be the first to coax the flower to bloom. We meet the great botanists of the age, from the legendary Sir Joseph Banks, to Sir William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, to the extravagant flower collector the Duke of Devonshire. Perhaps most important was the Duke's remarkable gardener, Joseph Paxton, who rose from garden boy to knight, and whose design of a series of ever-more astonishing glass-houses--one, the Big Stove, had a footprint the size of Grand Central Station--culminated in his design of the architectural wonder of the age, the Crystal Palace. Fittingly, Paxton based his design on a glass-house he had recently built to house Victoria regia. Indeed, the natural ribbing of the lily's leaf inspired the pattern of girders supporting the massive iron-and-glass building. From alligator-laden jungle ponds to the heights of Victorian society, The Flower of Empire unfolds the marvelous odyssey of this wonder of nature in a revealing work of cultural history.

The Flower of Empire

The Flower of Empire PDF Author: Tatiana Holway
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199911169
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 339

Get Book Here

Book Description
In 1837, while charting the Amazonian country of Guiana for Great Britain, German naturalist Robert Schomburgk discovered an astounding "vegetable wonder"--a huge water lily whose leaves were five or six feet across and whose flowers were dazzlingly white. In England, a horticultural nation with a mania for gardens and flowers, news of the discovery sparked a race to bring a live specimen back, and to bring it to bloom. In this extraordinary plant, named Victoria regia for the newly crowned queen, the flower-obsessed British had found their beau ideal. In The Flower of Empire, Tatiana Holway tells the story of this magnificent lily, revealing how it touched nearly every aspect of Victorian life, art, and culture. Holway's colorful narrative captures the sensation stirred by Victoria regia in England, particularly the intense race among prominent Britons to be the first to coax the flower to bloom. We meet the great botanists of the age, from the legendary Sir Joseph Banks, to Sir William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, to the extravagant flower collector the Duke of Devonshire. Perhaps most important was the Duke's remarkable gardener, Joseph Paxton, who rose from garden boy to knight, and whose design of a series of ever-more astonishing glass-houses--one, the Big Stove, had a footprint the size of Grand Central Station--culminated in his design of the architectural wonder of the age, the Crystal Palace. Fittingly, Paxton based his design on a glass-house he had recently built to house Victoria regia. Indeed, the natural ribbing of the lily's leaf inspired the pattern of girders supporting the massive iron-and-glass building. From alligator-laden jungle ponds to the heights of Victorian society, The Flower of Empire unfolds the marvelous odyssey of this wonder of nature in a revealing work of cultural history.

Botanical Wonderland

Botanical Wonderland PDF Author: Rachel Reinert
Publisher: Get Creative 6
ISBN: 9781942021964
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
An inviting collection of lush botanical drawings to color, created in mixed-media artist Rachel Reinert's lovely and distinctive style. Reinert's fresh take on modern florals has earned her a following among private collectors and interior decorators, and Botanical Wonderland makes her aesthetic accessible to everyone. Plus, the book includes some finished, fully colored botanical paintings to inspire would-be artists to draw their own beautiful works.

The Botany of Desire

The Botany of Desire PDF Author: Michael Pollan
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0375760393
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Pollan shines a light on our own nature as well as on our implication in the natural world.” —The New York Times “A wry, informed pastoral.” —The New Yorker The book that helped make Michael Pollan, the New York Times bestselling author of How to Change Your Mind, Cooked and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, one of the most trusted food experts in America Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom?

Escape to Christmas Past: A Colouring Book Adventure

Escape to Christmas Past: A Colouring Book Adventure PDF Author: Good Wives and Warriors
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 9780141366760
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 96

Get Book Here

Book Description
No Marketing Blurb

The Flower Hunter

The Flower Hunter PDF Author: Lucy Hunter
Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
ISBN: 9781788793841
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Get Book Here

Book Description
In The Flower Hunter, Lucy Hunter takes us on an inspirational journey through a year in her garden and artist’s studio set among the mountains of North Wales. Lucy's evocative, gently humorous words accompany her glorious photographs and exquisite floral arrangements, as she encourages the reader to marvel at the intricate cycles of the natural world, develop their own innate creativity, and to look for beauty in the everyday. Her garden provides the raw materials and inspires Lucy's floral artistry—breathtaking naturalistic arrangements with all the painterly beauty and flourish of a Dutch still life. Simple projects accompany Lucy’s text, from drying garden flowers for an autumnal wreath to making your own journals and natural dyes to assembling lavish arrangements that showcase the voluptuous beauty of garden roses. Lucy believes that we all have a creative voice buried deep within. The Flower Hunter will encourage you to find your own creativity and help it to blossom.

The Big Twitch

The Big Twitch PDF Author: Sean Dooley
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741159164
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Get Book Here

Book Description
One man's quest to realise a boyhood dream and break a national record. Sean Dooley seems like a well adjusted, functioning member of society but beneath the respectable veneer he harbours a dark secret. He is a hard-core birdwatcher (aka twitcher'). Sean takes a year off to try to break the Australian twitching record - he has to see more than 700 birds in twelve months. Travelling the length and breadth of Australia, he stops at nothing in search of this birdwatching Holy Grail, blowing his inheritance, his career prospects and any chance he has of finding a girlfriend. Part confessional, part travelogue, this is a true story about obsession. It's about seeking the meaning of life, trying to work out what normal' is, and searching for the elusive Grey Falcon (the bird, not the car). Sean's story of how he followed his childhood dream of becoming a national champion is both inspiring and ridiculous. Could this be the most pathetic great achievement in Australian history?

Sacred Heavens

Sacred Heavens PDF Author: Lydia Hess
Publisher: HarperOne
ISBN: 9780062563644
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Part of the "Coloring Books for the Soul" series, an exquisitely beautiful adult coloring book showcasing original art and evocative wisdom words, featuring mystical, magical imagery from the perennial popular realm of astrology—a creative and inspiring invitation to nourish our souls and reconnect with our spirit. Celebrate the mystery and allure of the night sky, with Sacred Heavens. Filled with dazzling drawings sure to inspire the imagination, readers can color away their stress and anxiety while nourishing their souls. Lydia Hess's illustrations are accompanied by beautifully lettered wisdom words that can be colored and embellished as well—adding a further level of engagement and magic for readers. Gorgeously packaged with a vibrant four-color cover by the artist and filled with fresh, modern illustrations suitable for framing, Sacred Heavens is an ideal way to unwind and create beauty in our lives.

Magic Scope

Magic Scope PDF Author: Irina Vinnik
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781532953095
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 116

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Magic Scope: Coloring book" invites you in the Looking-Glass world where refractions will change your impressions. Perhaps some of the images will look like animal or insect but nothing concrete. Just a little bit of magic and fantasy in everyday life . The book includes 56 large illustrations and another 56 individual motifs.

Mystical and Majestic Animals

Mystical and Majestic Animals PDF Author: Kayomi Harai
Publisher: Design Originals
ISBN: 9781497204799
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Discover an amazing world filled with dragons, phoenixes, and more! From talented Japanese artist, Kayomi Harai, comes this one-of-a-kind coloring book filled with over 30 intricate designs of amazing creatures to color into life. Each Japanese art design is printed on a single side of high-quality paper with perforated edges for easy removal and display.

Doodle Mania

Doodle Mania PDF Author: Zifflin
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781539494683
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Vol 4 of Zifflin's Coloring Books have finally arrived. Let Rocky Villaruel amazing art challenge you for some serious coloring challenges. 50 unique pieces of art to color or simply admire.