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Basilius Besler

Florilegium. The Book of Plants
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( 117 ratings, 8 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Basilius Besler offers a magnificent pictorial document of the Hortus Eystettensis, the greatest German garden of its time. First published in 1613, the 367 copperplate engravings by Besler capture the spectacular floral diversity of the palatial gardens of Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen in Bavaria. Organised by the four seasons and featuring plants from 90 families and 340 genera, this work is regarded as a treasure of botanical literature, acclaimed by famed botanist Carl Linnaeus as "incomparable." Besler's catalogue preserves the garden's beauty long after its destruction in 1634.
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Format: Hardback
$7100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for enthusiasts of botanical illustration, historical horticulture, and art collectors seeking a lavish visual record of a legendary garden.

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In 367 exquisite plates, this treasure of botanical literature records the flowers of the palatial grounds at Eichstätt, Bavaria, once some of the most beautiful gardens in history. The illustrations are organized by season and, following the classification system used today, show plants belonging to a total of 90 families and covering 340 genera.

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

A magnificent pictorial document of the flowers grown in the greatest German garden of its time, the Hortus Eystettensis is in a class of its own when it comes to the range of flowers engraved.

First published in 1613, the 367 copperplate engravings by Basilius Besler (1561-1629) capture the spectacular diversity of the palatial gardens of Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen (1593/95-1612) in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany. The meticulous illustrations are organized according to the four seasons, and, following the classification system used today, show plants belonging to a total of 90 families and covering 340 genera.

The whole collection is regarded as one of the finest treasures of botanical literature; it was described by Carl Linnaeus, the legendary 18th-century botanist and zoologist, as an "incomparable work."

Besler's pictorial catalog long outlived the gardens, which were destroyed in 1634 by invading Swedish troops. In auction, the asking price for a first-edition copy of Hortus Eystettensis is now more than half a million dollars. With this edition, TASCHEN opens up the garden to a much wider audience: a rich and beautiful record, destined to keep the garden's beauty in bloom.

Series: Bibliotheca Universalis

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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?

Praised for its scholarship and quality of reproductions, this edition is considered a bargain by the Chicago Botanic Garden Book Review.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9783836557870

Publisher: Taschen GmbH

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 26 January 2016

Country: Germany

Imprint: Taschen GmbH

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 48.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 947g

Pages: 544

About the Author

Klaus Walter Littger was deputy director of the Eichstätt-Ingolstadt University Library, and head of the university's collection of historical books and manuscripts. In addition to essays on German language and literature, he has published numerous works on the history of libraries as well as the diocese and University of Eichstätt, and on the history of its local music. He is also co-editor of a journal and a series on the history of the diocese. Werner Dressendörfer is a pharmaceutical historian, academic librarian, and former honorary Professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. His particular spheres of interest are the history of the Early Modern herbal, the cultural history of useful and medicinal plants, and plant symbolism in art. He has written extensively on pharmaceutical and botanical history, and is the author of many of TASCHEN’s botanical publications.

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