The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne: A History From 1845 To 1970
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Edition: First Edition Thus
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Sun-faded spine, minor chips to DJ.
One of Australia's most beloved and storied cultural landmarks comes to life in R.T.M. Pescott's authoritative chronicle of The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a meticulously researched history spanning over a century of botanical achievement, civic pride, and scientific endeavour. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving colonial Melbourne, the work traces the Gardens' origins in 1845 through to 1970, detailing the visionary directors, dedicated horticulturalists, and passionate plant collectors whose combined efforts transformed a patch of native bushland into one of the Southern Hemisphere's finest botanical institutions. Pescott writes with the precision of a scholar and the warmth of a devoted naturalist, illuminating the interplay between science, politics, and public life that shaped the Gardens across twelve tumultuous decades. The narrative presents the Gardens not merely as a collection of plants, but as a living mirror of Australian society — reflecting changing tastes, imperial ambitions, and an evolving national identity. For garden enthusiasts, historians, and lovers of Melbourne alike, this landmark volume raises a tantalising question: what truly grows in a garden — the plants, or the people who tend them?
Author: R.T.M. Pescott
Format: Hardback
Published: 1982, Oxford
Genre: Australian history
Edition: First Edition Thus
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Sun-faded spine, minor chips to DJ.
One of Australia's most beloved and storied cultural landmarks comes to life in R.T.M. Pescott's authoritative chronicle of The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, a meticulously researched history spanning over a century of botanical achievement, civic pride, and scientific endeavour. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving colonial Melbourne, the work traces the Gardens' origins in 1845 through to 1970, detailing the visionary directors, dedicated horticulturalists, and passionate plant collectors whose combined efforts transformed a patch of native bushland into one of the Southern Hemisphere's finest botanical institutions. Pescott writes with the precision of a scholar and the warmth of a devoted naturalist, illuminating the interplay between science, politics, and public life that shaped the Gardens across twelve tumultuous decades. The narrative presents the Gardens not merely as a collection of plants, but as a living mirror of Australian society — reflecting changing tastes, imperial ambitions, and an evolving national identity. For garden enthusiasts, historians, and lovers of Melbourne alike, this landmark volume raises a tantalising question: what truly grows in a garden — the plants, or the people who tend them?