Martius. The Book of Palms
80Edition: Multilingual (English, French, German)Availability: In Stock“An outstanding work: aesthetically as well as in content... A milestone of botanical research.”
“Beautifully detailed... A landmark in taxonomic description, botanical illustration, and the realistic representation of species in the landscape.”
“A beautiful, exuberant book..”
Martius. The Book of Palms
80Trees of Paradise
All known genera of the palm family in 240 exquisite illustrations
This epic folio was based on von Martius’s expedition to Brazil and Peru with zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix, sponsored by King Maximilian I of Bavaria, to investigate natural history and native tribes. From 1817 to 1820 the pair traveled over 2,250 km (1,400 miles) throughout the Amazon basin, the most species-rich palm region in the world, collecting and sketching specimens. On their return both men were awarded knighthoods and lifetime pensions.
In his epic work, von Martius outlined the modern classification of palm, produced the first maps of palm biogeography, described all the palms of Brazil, and collated the sum of all known genera of the palm family. Apart from his own collection of specimens and notes, von Martius also wrote about the findings of others. Von Martius’s folio is unusual in its inclusion of cross-sectioned diagrams, conveying the architecture of these mighty trees, which central Europeans would have found hard to imagine accurately. Equally remarkable are the color landscapes showing various palms—often standing alone—which have a simple and elegant beauty. This famous work is an unrivaled landmark in botanic illustration and taxonomy.
The author
H. Walter Lack is a professor at the Free University of Berlin and former director of the Botanical Gardens and Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem. A leading expert in the history of botany, his research focuses on the global transfer of useful and ornamental plants from a cultural historical perspective. He is the author of TASCHEN’s Garden of Eden, The Book of Palms and Redouté. The Book of Flowers.
Martius. The Book of Palms
Hardcover, 25 x 34.5 cm, 2.80 kg, 412 pagesISBN 978-3-8365-6614-8
Edition: Multilingual (English, French, German)5