History of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The: Second edition

(, 2nd Revised edition)

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182 colour & 98 b/w illustrations This new edition of the classic work Kew: The History of the Royal Botanic Gardens is the definitive history of the world's greatest botanic gaardens. Comprehensively revised, this stunning, richly illustraqted reference takes in every aspect of Kew's history over two centuries - its origin, the pivotal role in collecting, classifying and identifying the world's plants, the commeercial crops it gave the British Empire, to being a world renowned institution at the cutting edge of plant science. << Kew's heritage - the herbarium, art and architecture, from Kew Palace and Burton's great Palm House to the Princess of Wales Conservatory, state of the art laboratories and new alpine house - is illustrated and described, together with the scientists, architects, designers and gardeners who have made Kew. >> RBG Kew is home to the world's greatest botanical gardens with extensive living collections, millions of herbarium specimens, a rapidly expanding seed bank, and an important liberary and repository of botanical art. It is an international centre for economic botany research in taxonomy, molecular biology and biological interactions. World plant conservation is one of its principal misswions, and its work includes scientific expeertise in plant diversity and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. << Kew gradens is also a major international visitor destination, covering 132 hectares and attracting over one million visitors per year. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. << Kew's beginnings as a small physic garden founded in 1759 will be celebrated in 2009 with its 250th anniversary. << AUTHOR: Ray Desmond was chief Librarian and Archivistat the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and subsequently a Deputy Keeper on the British Library. He is Vice-President and former Chairman of the Garden History Society and former President of the Society for the History of Natural History which awarded him their Founders Medal.

Author Bio

Ray Desmond was Chief Librarian and Archivist at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and subsequently a Deputy Keeper in the British Library. He is a Vice-President and former Chairman of the Garden History Society and former President of the Society for the History of Natural History which awarded him their Founders Medal. His books on the history of botany and horticulture include Bibliography of British Gardens (1984), A Celebration of Flowers (1987), Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturalists (1994) and Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker(1999).