Published by New Holland Publishers Ltd, 2005, hardcover, illustrated, 192 pages, large size format, condition: as new.
The garden is both a space for private reflection and a stage for public expression, providing a mirror to an epoch's tastes, customs and culture. This lavishly illustrated book of some of the finest gardens in Europe takes the reader on a journey through more than 500 years of history, providing an insight to the people and times that shaped each magnificent garden. From seventeenth-century Levens Hall in the English countryside, with its fantastic topiary using hornbeams and box-trees, to the splendid Versailles, its statues and fountains praising the glory of the Sun King; from the geometry of Italian Renaissance gardens to the picturesque Giverny Garden, 'painted' by Paul Cezanne with strokes of iris and waterlilies; from the magical Alhambra in Granada, its refined fountains the legacy of the Arabs, to the modern Vigeland Park in Oslo, a true open-air art museum created in the 1950s - these are just some of the 31 spectacular European gardens presented here. With informative text providing useful information for those planning a visit and beautiful photography throughout, this book is a charming guide to the Europe of the past.
A graduate in Biological Science with long experience in the field of natural history publications, author Eliana Ferioli is the director of journals Airone and Gardenia. She has written four successful books: L'atlante degli alberi d'Italia, Terre fiorite, La Terra e la Vita, L'aria e la vita. Ms Ferioli worked for Fabbri from 1967 to 1981 where she was in charge of illustrated books, pocket books and partworks on natural history subjects. She also designed and edited the Big Natural Encyclopedia in 12 volumes.