A Garden Eden: Masterpieces of Botanical Illustration [English / French / German]

About this book

Language: Trilingual in English, French, and German

A 2022 reissue of this book, originally published in 2001. This reissue is part of Taschen's 40th Anniversary Edition range (156 mm × 217 mm). The 2021 reissue was part of Taschen's XL range (250 mm × 345 mm).

In pursuit of both knowledge and delight, the craft of botanical illustration has always required not only meticulous draftsmanship but also a rigorous scientific understanding. This new edition of a Taschen classic celebrates the botanical tradition and talents with a selection of outstanding works from the National Library of Vienna, including many new images.

From Byzantine manuscripts right through to 19th-century masterpieces, through peonies, callas, and chrysanthemums, these exquisite reproductions dazzle in their accuracy and their aesthetics. Whether in gently furled leaves, precisely textured fruits, or the sheer beauty and variety of colours, we celebrate an art form as tender as it is precise, and ever more resonant amid our growing awareness of our ecological surroundings and the preciousness of natural flora.

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Biography

H. Walter Lack is a professor at the Free University of Berlin and former director of the Botanical Gardens and Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem. A leading expert in the history of botany, his research focuses on the global transfer of useful and ornamental plants from a cultural historical perspective. He is the author of Taschen's Garden of Eden, The Book of Palms and Redoute: The Book of Flowers.