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From Publishers WeeklyHobhouse ( Gardens of Europe ), a sort of green grande dame, has a rather grand gardening opus here: while she demurs that "no actual records exist of garden layouts before the second millennium BC," she does her best to trace the history of gardening from its assumed Egyptian sources to the present. (The Egyptians, like all gardeners, had their problems. In 1470 B.C., Queen Hatsepshut moved 31 frankincense trees to her temple from Somalia. They died.) The virtues of this book are precision, modesty, detail, scope, good design and great illustrations--the full-color reproductions of the Unicorn Tapestries, where small flowers entwine dark shadows, and of Botticelli's La Primavera , adorned with 40 blooming species, are superb. And it's refreshing to see North American gardens featured, as well as exemplary Continental and English kinds. Hobhouse works chronologically, taking a chapter each to discuss Islamic, medieval, Renaissance, Italian, French and English traditions, and finally one aimed at the achievements of our century. Her book will entice those who don't garden and confirm those who already do. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library JournalThis is a lush survey of gardening from ancient Egypt to the present by one of England's foremost gardener/writers. This book differs from other garden history surveys in its emphasis on plant introductions and their influence on garden styles, country by country and century by century. Profusely illustrated, it is beautiful, well reasearched, and entertainingly written. However, its content is weighted toward British gardens and gardeners, with the final two chapters covering North American horticulture (not thoroughly enough). Also, the garden history of the Far East is not included. In content and scope, this most resembles (yet surpasses) Julia Berrall's The Garden: An Illustrated History (Viking/Penguin, 1966. o.p.) A worthwhile addition for most public and horticulture libraries.- Laura Lipton, Miller Horticulture Lib., SeattleCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc."