The Rose: An Illustrated History

by Peter Harkness

A spectacularly illustrated reference. Roses are valued for many reasons including beauty, symbolism, fragrance, and history. The Rose tells the fascinating story of this treasured flower accompanied by lively text and sumptuous full color illustrations. The book is divided into three Roses of Nature , Roses of History and Roses by Design . Each section traces the links that tie the wild roses of nature to the earliest roses of civilization. It also explodes a few myths along the way and tells how the tireless efforts of horticulturists from many nations have brought into being the full-petalled beauties of today. The captivating archival illustrations are from the Royal Horticultural Society's collection, home to one of the world's finest archives of horticultural art. This spectacular collection of roses of every description is certain to capture the hearts of gardeners and art lovers alike.

Genres: Art, Plants

344 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a black thumb, but I love flowers. Found this at the Huntington Museum. I enjoyed, but don't really know enough to rate it accurately. It did however lead me to a mountain side field of wild prim roses in Alaska.

[Vivian Wiltshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a wonderful look of the history of roses. It has beautiful illustrations and a comprehensive look at the history of the rose that I found very interesting. I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars!

[Susan Liston · Rating 5 out of 5]

mostly this is just a gorgeous book.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful watercolor illustrations of rose breeds accompany an in-depth history of the many types of roses.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

I saw a pocket-sized edition of this at a bookstore and thought I'd check it out from the library. At best is a coffee table book, or a starting point. Nicely reproduced illustrations, but in at least one instance it treats a poorly supported folk tale as verified history. I dislike that. I can't speak to the accuracy of the other information, as I am not an expert about roses, but there is no bibliography. (Something else I dislike.)