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

Have you ever wondered just what is that flower that Oberon directs Puck to retrieve in A Midsummer Night's Dream... the one whose juice is squeezed into the eyes of the lovers and of Titania as they sleep? Well, if you are like me, these are things you might ponder as you read the many plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare, and if you do, this is a book you'll love. (I'm reading this book myself this spring (2025) and it is an absolute delight.)

In this stunning compilation, Shakespeare expert Gerit Quealy has teamed up with notable Japanese artist Sumié Hasegawa-Collins to create the most comprehensive collection of all the flowers, fruits, herbs, trees, seeds, and grasses mentioned in William Shakespeare's works, each paired with an exquisite illustration and corresponding note. Quealy supplements the dazzling main text with rich background information, explaining Shakespeare's relationship to plants and his deep knowledge of botany and his unmatched skill for creating metaphorical connexions. An accompanying dictionary elaborates on each plant, providing facts, historical context, and anecdotes. (That flower in A Midsummer Night's Dream, by the way? It's a simple pansy.)

Hardcover, ribbon bookmark, 208 pages. 2017.

Please note the edges at the head and tail of the red spine cloth on all of our stock of this title is lightly rubbed, meaning some white edges are visible where you might expect to find red. We've talked to the publisher about this and we've received multiple shipments of this book; the issue is consistent across all the shipments we've received. All to say: there seems to be no way to avoid the slightly whitish edges at the head and tail of the spine.