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House Plants
Series: Botanical
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Format: Hardback
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An exploration of the botanical history and cultural impact of house plants.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Our penchant for keeping houseplants is an ancient practice dating back to the Pharaohs. House Plants explores the stories behind the plants we bring home and how they were transformed from wild plants into members of our households.
A billion-dollar global industry, house plants provide interaction with nature and contribute to our health, happiness, and well-being. They also support their own miniature ecosystems and are part of the home biome.
Featuring many superb illustrations, House Plants explores both their botanical history and cultural impact, from song (Gracie Fields's "Biggest Aspidistra in the World"), literature (Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying), and cinema (Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors) to fashion, technology, contemporary design, and painting.
'This is quite simply a masterpiece of a book and certainly the finest on house plants I have ever come across. Maunder uses the canvas of our obsession to have plants in the home to write a hugely thought-provoking essay on the science of an industry, the vagaries of fashion, [and] the impact on artistic movements from wallpaper to installations to the huge landscape designs of Roberto Burle Marx... All this set against the febrile kleptocracy of plant hunting from around the world and the increasing evolution of house plants as an almost neurological quest to return to the wild... You will return to it time and again.' — Sir Tim Smit KBE, cofounder of the Eden Project
'If you have a gentle affinity for houseplants now, you will love and be inspired by them after reading this book. Maunder brings our unassuming, green live-in companions to dazzling life. Who knew we were sharing our homes with characters that belong in a rip-roaring adventure novel? Plant blindness has been cured by this book!' — Paul Smith, secretary general of Botanic Gardens Conservation International
'A wonderful treatise that weaves science, conservation, and history into a highly readable narrative, this book is a timely reminder of our long association with house plants and the numerous benefits they bring to our households.' — Tim Upson, director of horticulture, education, and communities, Royal Horticultural Society
Series: Botanical
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House Plants
Our penchant for keeping houseplants is an ancient practice dating back to the Pharaohs. House Plants explores the stories behind the plants we bring home and how they were transformed from wild plants into members of our households. A billion-dollar global industry, house plants provide interaction with nature and contribute to our health, happiness, and well-being. They also support their...HardbackSold Out
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
House Plants by Mike Maunder is praised for its exploration of the cultural and historical significance of house plants. Reviewers highlight its accessible and engaging style, combined with well-researched content that delves into both the science and humanities aspects. The book is noted for bringing to light the deep connections between plants and domestic life, enriched by illustrative content that underscores its appeal to plant enthusiasts.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781789145434
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 16 May 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Illustration: 111 illustrations, 94 in colour
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 138.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 200
About the Author
Mike Maunder is a gardener and conservationist, and executive director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, University of Cambridge.
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