Chicago Botanic Garden

Education — Lenhardt Library

Current Books & Book Reviews

PHOTO: bookcover

Denise DeLaurentis and Hollie Powers Holt.
The Art of the Garden: Collecting Antique Botanical Prints.
Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer, 2006.
Cloth, 288 pp., ISBN 0–764–32407–1, $79.95.

This fascinating reference and practical guide to botanical prints is highly recommended for its extensive, informative coverage of the subject and gorgeous illustrations. The knowledgeable authors, Denise DeLaurentis and Hollie Powers Holt, discuss the origins of printmaking and the differences between processes before plunging into the factors that led to the creation of this art form. The text includes profiles and works of the major botanical artists from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. The authors review terminology, pricing, and trade tips on selecting prints. The chapters on building a collection and displaying botanical prints are particularly valuable.

— Marilyn K. Alaimo, garden writer and volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden.