Nature Displaced, Nature Displayed: Order and Beauty in Botanical Gardens

by Nuala C. Johnson

Overview

Botanical gardens brought together the great diversity of the Earth's flora. They displaced nature from forest and foothill and re-arranged it to reveal something of the scientific principles underpinning the apparent chaos of the wild. Through a study of three botanical gardens, belonging to the University of Cambridge, the Royal Dublin Society and the Belfast Natural History Society, this book shows how the design and display of such gardens was not determined by scientific principles alone. It explores how the final outcome involved a complex interplay of ideas about place, identity, empire, botanical science and aesthetics, creating spaces that would educate the mind as well as please the senses. This highly engaging book offers a wealth of fresh insights into both the history and development of botanical gardens as well as connections between science and aesthetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350165465
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/28/2020
Series:	Tauris Historical Geographical Series
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nuala C. Johnson is Reader in Human Geography at the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast. Her previous books include 'Ireland, the Great War and the Geography of Remembrance' (2003) and, as co-editor, 'Companion to Cultural Geography' (2004) and 'Culture and Society' (2008).

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Acknowledgements

1: Nature, Botanical Gardens and Science
2: Foundations
3: Displaying and Displacing Nature: Order, Classification and Pleasure
4: Glass, Iron and Steam: Botanical Buildings and the Cultivation of the Exotic
5: Networks and Exchanges: Knowledge Transfer and Peopling Botanical Institutions
6: Popular Science, Public Pleasure and the Botanical Garden as a Site of Education and Entertainment
7: Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index