Description
The Album of Plant Families
An Illustrated Exploration of Nature’s Beauty & Bounty
By Wendy Hollender
A spectacular poster-sized book that illustrates the family connections between the plants around us, deepening our appreciation of nature
Here is an amazing and detailed book review by Kathleen Garness with The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI), including:
“Lavishly illustrated, the book is not a scientific treatise on plant families, but neither is it a typical coffee table book of botanical art. Rather, it is an invitation into intimacy with plants, to be welcomed inside their home as a valued guest, and enjoy conversations—inserted at the end of each family chapter—with experts in the field who love plants as much as Hollender does.”
Much like our own family, plant families share characteristics, often in the arrangement of their flowers, leaves, and stems. In this oversized hardcover book (12″x16″), acclaimed botanical artist Wendy Hollender depicts twenty-four plant families most commonly encountered in the garden and in the wild. Her superb full-page illustrations, featuring subjects rendered from life in color pencil and watercolor, help us visualize the sometimes surprising connections between different plants—for example, between the zinnia, the dandelion, and romaine lettuce, all members of the sunflower family, Asteraceae.
For each family, Hollender’s lively writings aided by additional illustrations highlight the similarities between family members, and describe her adventures in collecting the subjects (from her backyard garden to the Hawaiian wilderness). Guest essays from a variety of distinguished contributors—including Marta McDowell, the best-selling garden writer; Susan Pell, executive director of the US Botanic Garden; and Dina Falconi, the well-known clinical herbalist—lend fascinating perspectives on the featured plant families.
The Album of Plant Families is the ultimate gift for all gardeners, foragers, and nature lovers.
What Other Folks Are Saying:
“These portraits of family members glow with a quality of attention born of deep respect and affection for our plant relatives. The gorgeous rendering of texture and color, the nod to unseen companions and relationships, a whiff of imagined fragrance, create an invitation to see- and love- more fully, the good green world.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist, professor and author of Braiding Sweetgrass
“The Album of Plant Families is a tour de force of botanical artistry — an enchanting glimpse into the variety and beauty of twenty-four of the most important families of flowers.” —Peter Crane, President, Oak Spring Garden Foundation
Read a review from NTBG by Jon Letman.
