Product Description

This new edition of the classic work "The History of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew" is the definitive history of the world's greatest botanic gardens. Comprehensively revised, this stunning, richly illustrated reference takes in every aspect of Kew's history over two centuries - from its origin, pivotal roles in collecting, classifying and identifying the world's plants, the commercial crops it gave to the British Empire, to being a world renowned institution at the cutting edge of plant science.Kew's heritage - the herbarium, art and architecture, from Kew Palace and Burton's great Palm House to the Princess of Wales Conservatory, state of the art laboratories and new Davies Alpine House - is illustrated and described, together with the events leading to its UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2003. Lastly, it is a social history of the Gardens, and of the scientists, architects, designers and gardeners who have made Kew. Detailed appendices and bibliography have been updated and the two new chapters added make this the authoritative reference.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194492 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 480 pages

About the Author
Ray Desmond was Chief Librarian and Archivist at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and subsequently a Deputy Keeper in the British Library. He is a Vice-President and former Chairman of the Garden History Society and former President of the Society for the History of Natural History which awarded him their Founders Medal. His books on the history of botany and horticulture include Bibliography of British Gardens (1984), A Celebration of Flowers (1987), Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturalists (1994) and Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker(1999).