Orchid Muse

Description

One of ‘s Most Anticipated Books of 2022 A kaleidoscopic journey into the world of nature’s most tantalizing flower, and the lives it has inspired. Well-researched and beautifully presented, this book is sure to be popular with orchid enthusiasts and those who enjoy natural history. Vibrant…Hannickel’s comprehensive, fascinating history is leavened with plenty of amusing tidbits. If flowers are how plants have sex, orchids are the sexiest ‘harlot-nymphs’ of them all, as Erica Hannickel reveals in this delightful and exquisitely explicit ode to orchidelirium. A fascinating survey of one of the world’s most intriguing (and provocative!) blooms, complete with lush illustrations and fascinating historical anecdotes. This book is an enchanting read for any gardener, house plant enthusiast, or history lover. A fun fascinating romp through the history of the world’s favorite flower. Erica Hannickel’s gorgeously illustrated is a reader’s delight—crammed with fascinating stories about everything orchid, from the pleasure gardens of the Chinese Empress Cixi to the shoguns of feudal Japan, a nineteenth-century female science fiction author with a passion for botany, the dime museums of Manhattan’s Tenderloin district, a little-known work by Charles Darwin, and the twelve-year-old slave boy who solved the mystery of vanilla pollination. This rich and delightful story of the voluptuous orchid is bound to convert all who encounter it to what the Victorians called orchidelirium. Here is a collection of stories made not only for those readers already passionate about orchids but also for the rest of us who had no idea of the history, drama, and sensual energy behind these flowers. At turns ambitious, entertaining, and surprising, Hannickel’s work rewrites the story of orchids to include women, queer people, and people of color from around the globe. Perhaps the greatest thing about this book is how it draws our focus to the intimate details of creation, inviting our gaze, seducing us into the voluptuous, delicate beauty of a natural world that ultimately—and more desperately than ever—depends on our care. is a delightful assemblage of some of the less-known vignettes in orchid history. The cultural information and tips are a perfect jumping point for any reader who wants to take the enthusiasm she inspires for orchids beyond the pages of her book. is a joyful reminder of why I fell in love with botany—a fascinating read for the expert and those who can hardly discern orchids from okra. At a time when women’s rights are being challenged and there is increasingly strong socioeconomic disparity in the world, readers will particularly enjoy reading about Charles Darwin’s anti-slavery efforts through orchids and 1880s New York City’s Eden Musée, a dime museum ‘crowded with orchid lovers whose favorite flowers had helped them pretend to transcend class and gender barriers for a time.’ Each page of offers new insight into the history of orchids. CN