Botanical Shakespeare: An Illustrated Compendium of All the Flowers, Fruits, Herbs, Trees, Seeds, and Grasses Cited by the World's Greatest Playwright

An exquisite book, and heavy (literally)! Info about it says it took 20 years to create, which is easy to believe. The illustrations alone must’ve taken forever! Even if your not ‘into’ Shakespeare, this is a pleasurable book to dive into, with quotes from his plays mentioning the plants that are depicted.

If you love Shakespeare, plants, flowers, and lovely artwork, this is a no brainer. Open to any page and be treated to quotes and information about the plants mentioned. Such a beautiful book.

Such a lovely book, given as a gift to a rich person who has everything. It was well loved as a coffee table book. It really is very nice.

What a graceful gift to the whole world Ms. Quealy has given us all. This is clearly the painstaking work of many, MANY years of expertise and the kind of in-depth, loving knowledge that only true scholars possess. What makes this book so special, though, is the way the author and illustrator make it so easy for all of us, whether new to Shakespeare or lovers since childhood, to jump in and appreciate some of the most beautiful, playful, Nature-born words AND gifts of the soil we human beings are lucky enough to share.This is the kind of book that someone needed to do but no one, 'til now, had the caring, loving and husbandring patience heretofore. Aren't we lucky, now in 2017 onwards!I've bought 4 copies already and everyone I've given this book to - they make PERFECT gifts - has loved it.The perfect spirit-restorer, too, to keep on your own shelves for many decades, to be returned to, with delight, whenever you're feelin' blue.Aaaahhh, the pictures! Heavenly. Balm. Almost more beautiful than their originals in Nature.Ms. Quealy has collected here, with such relaxed ease, in a marvelously fun, ORGANIZED (Yay) way, just about everything about the gentle, colorful, bountiful harvest of the abundant English countryside, which Shakespeare's kings, nobles, farmers, goofballs, maidens ... every character he wrote! has ever said about plants. WOW!Whether bitter as a nettle, sweet and yummy as a costard apple, medicinal as a yarrow.That's a LOT of grace.Thanks evermore, Gerit Quealy and Sumie Hasagawa-Collins! It's so hard to find Beauty nowadays, in a world so woefully cut off from Nature. You restore our collective spirit. Brava, bravi (female version: brave w/ an accent agu!) always.

This beautiful book is high quality inside and out. The binding is a lovely fabric with raised lettering, and the verses and drawings inside are equally breathtaking. The forward by Dame Helen Mirren is a special treasure. This book would be a cherished gift or personal keepsake. Purchase and enjoy forever.

I ordered three of these for gifts. Two were shipped together - one by itself. Books were in great condition and overall I am very pleased. Terrific seller. The books have incredible drawings of the flowers and wonderful Shakespearean quotes. My gardening friends are going to absolutely love these! Fast shipping! I rate this seller five stars!

Botanical Shakespeare: An Illustrated Compendium of All the Flowers, Fruits, Herbs, Trees, Seeds, and Grasses Cited by the World's Greatest Playwright by Gerit Quealy, and illustrator Sumie Hasegawa Collins is simply put, a beautiful book. If you love Shakespeare, this is a great book that highlights some of his most interesting quotes. If you love flowers, and all things botanical, this is a great book that delves deep into that area. If you are into great art, this is a great book, and if you are drawn to a combination of all of these things, this is the perfect book for you. This is not a sit down and read from cover to cover kind of book, but one that you can pick up, marvel at the beauty and read a few Shakespeare quotes. Simply gorgeous illustrations set this book apart, and the forward by Helen Mirren is a work of art in itself. A lovely book to keep out at all times to make it readily available to anyone who wants to peer inside, this book is highly recommended for a delightful diversion.

Yes, this is a gorgeous volume. The illustrations are incredible, and pairing them with the quotations makes for wonderful browsing; the book is worth having on your shelf or coffee table for its beauty alone.But my favorite parts of this book are the revelations. Anyone familiar with Shakespeare's oeuvre-- theater fans, academics, and literary sleuths -- will appreciate Botanical Shakespeare's academic scholarship: Why peonies aren't pictured, which poison killed Hamlet (Hint: It probably wasn't henbane or hemlock), and how the wordplay around the medlar fruit should make high school students blush. And the writer makes the topic come alive as vividly as the illustrator does, so it's not, as she cleverly puts it, "All Latin and Fenugreek." As a bonus, the last page of the book provides a link to a thorough list of plants by play, by character, and by species.No botanist, teacher, florist, actor, autodidact, or curious reader should be without Botanical Shakespeare. Get thee to a bookstore! Or the convenient "Add to Cart" button!

A delightfully illustrated book and so interestingly compiled. No idea there were so many references to plants etc by Shakespeare.

Arrived with all four cornere damaged, been sitting shelved for some time, not in new condition

Bought as a gift lovely book definatly a keeper.

This was just as described, a readable but academic focus on plants and flowers in Shakespeare's works.

Bought as a present. It's had good feedback.