THE NAMING OF NAMES: THE SEARCH FOR ORDER IN THE WORLD OF PLANTS.

UK,thick,heavy Qto HB+dw/dj,illustrated,1st edn. [Complete number line 10 - 1 descending.] NMINT/NMINT. No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,wrap-around matt,colour pictorial illustration of a martogon Lily and of a Bramble to dw/dj with capitalised brown-lettered part-title and capitalised, black-lettered sub-title.capitalised black-lettered author name and capitalised,brown+black lettered author credit for her book 'The Tulip'; spine/backstrip with capitalised, brown lettered part-title,capitalised,black lettered author name and publisher's brown illustrated colophon to foot of same,rear panel of dw/dj with a small colour illustration of Pine trees. Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners – no nicks,tears or splits present.Top edges with miniscule blemish,fore-edges bright crisp,clean without any foxing; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound – no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips – appears unread,apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright, crisp,clean/unblemished,sharp-cornered,original plain maroon cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked black ink lettering to spine/backstrip,a brown+white striped headband,and immaculate beige+brown illustration of Seed tables from Robert Morison's Plantarum umbelliferarum distribution nova (Oxford,1672) illustrated endpapers.UK,thick,heavy (approx 1.7 Kg),Qrto HB+dw/dj, illustarted,1st edn,1-471pp [paginated] includes a 20pp Introduction,XXIV (24) chapters and an Epilogue,profuse historical,contemporary b/w+colour horticultural,flora illustration reproductions,interspersed throughout the text and the book,a Chronology,a Cast List,Notes,a 10pp Bibliography,Acknowledgements,a List of Illustrations and an Index; plus [unpaginated] 6thC woodcut colour illustration of a 'Dracontea' (Dragon arum) to half-title page,a 16thC b/w woodcut illustration of a waterlily to the title page,a Contents list/table,a dedication,and to the rear,to the reverse of last paginated page,a Note about the author. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/ state of preservation and presentation,for a book of its near 20 year-old age. It is only the minor fault described that prevents the highest grading overall. Despite that it is still an exceptional copy for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of any other detracting faults. 'The Naming of Names' is about the men who searched for the rules off nature's game.What were the plants to be called? What weretheir similarities and fifferences? How should they be grouped and ordered? The world was surely more than a random,chaotic jumble - if only a rationale could be found. For centuries,this search for order occupied some of the most brilliant minds in Europe.The story starts in Athens, where Aristotle's pupil,Theophrastus,was the first person ever to write a book about plants.It moves on to the sparkling period of the Italian Renaissance when man's relationship with nature was radically redefined. Gradually,over a long period in Europe,plants gathered indentities.In a world full of plagues and poisons,there was a practical need to recognise and differentiate between one plant and another: many medicines were made from plant extracts.But alongside this pharmacuetical reason for wanting to pin the right labels on plants was the wider imperative - an overwhelming desire to make sense of the natural world.Aided by the artists who painted the first pictures of plants,schollars set out along the long road to consensus.A pan-European network built up,an information exchange,a kind of early internet that connected all those interested in a better understanding of nature's gifts. But 2,000 years of looking,writing,theorising passed before any rules became clear.Anna Pavord takes us on a thrilling adventure into botanical history,travelling from thens in the third century BC,through Constantinople and Venice,to the universities of Padua and Pisa.The journey,traced here for the first time,involves the culture of Islam,the first expeditions to the Indies and the first settlers in the New World. Sumptuously illustrated in full colour,'The Naming of Names' gives a compelling insight into a world full of intrigue and intensely competitive egos. Anna Pavord was the gardening correspondent for The Independent for 30 years from its launch to its demise,and author of widely praised gardening books including 'The Flowering Year', 'Gardening Companion',her best-selling 'The Tulip','plant partners' and 'The Border Book' and 'plant partners' - see my book IDs' rja1115324 for a UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,illustrated,1st edn,and rja1115424 respectively,for a reprint edn of that title. As well as writing for The Observer for 20 years,she has contributed to 'Country Life', 'Country Living',and 'Elle Decoration',and is an associate editor of 'Gardens Illustrated'. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **