Description
Book SynopsisAmerica''s favorite flora are the homey ray flowers, a tribe featuring daisies, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, dahlias, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans, combined with the elegant, multifaceted rose. Children pick ray flowers for their prepubescent crush or for their mom; when they get older, they graduate to the rose, a more sophisticated choice. Both high culture and pop culture embrace floral imagery; think of Annie Liebovitz''s famous nude photograph of Bette Midler blanketed in long-stemmed American Beauties on the cover of
Rolling Stone, or zombies featured in a
Wars of the Roses comic book. Thousands of postcards and greeting cards are covered in a sea of roses and ray flowers. Meet Daisy Mae, see Daisy the dog, and view the presidential Rose Garden, as well as influential American and European works of art. These images are combined with the history and romance of our favorite flowers. A nonallergenic floral extravaganza!
Trade ReviewMichael Emery and Irwin Richman's latest exploration of American culture is both a historical and visual masterpiece. As someone who is a third-generation grower of the rose, "the queen of the garden," this book provides an important niche in the literature of gardening. It is a book that will always have me thinking of spring and summer. Peter Swift Seibert, executive director, Education, Research, and Historical Interpretation Division, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
