In the 17th and 18th centuries there were many voyages to remote lands where plant hunters braved new habitats in the interest for botanists and plant collectors alike.

In the 1600s Holland was the centre for this subject but when William and Mary came to the British throne their interest, especially in the field of cacti and succulents, English plant collecting gained a new momentum. New ways of classification took place and with developments in engraving it created a wealth of beautiful illustration. In this wonderfully created book, Celia Fisher follows these early days of plant collecting but the main part are some 100 or more botanical written details accompanied by stunning illustrations.

We see Mark Catesby’s lively pictures that contain creatures associated with the same habitat as the plants; the botanical artist Sydney Parkinson who accompanied Joseph Banks to Botany Bay where together they catalogued and illustrated 1300 species. This book is simply beautiful and anyone interested in art, gardening or serious botany will love this.