OVERSTREET, Leslie K.[300] pp.Assouline Publishing200812" x 9 3/4"In celebration of summer, Assouline evokes the beauty of the garden in a remarkable gift-volume. Including more than three centuries of drawings culled from the rare books library of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, each page in Botanicals explodes with rich colors and lifelike details. Exquisite flowers, delicate fruits, and exuberant butterflies are among the jewels of nature that come to life in this unique compendium. Featured are works by leading botanical artists, including Maria Sibylla Merian, a revolutionary female entomologist and natural historian of the seventeenth century; E.A. Seguy, whose art nouveau-era work serves as inspiration for many contemporary creative directors and designers; and Dr. Robert John Thornton, a British visionary renowned for his interest in botany. Botanicals is extraordinary, a remarkable objet d'art in the spirit of the season.
