Member Reviews
Tulips; A Little Book of Flowers by Tara Austen Weaver was absolutely beautiful and I learned so much!! I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!
A delightful and beautifully illustrated book all about my favourite flower, the tulip. I didn’t realise there were so many different varieties. I found the history of the tulip fascinating and the detailed information on successful planting very helpful. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
This is such a lovely book about all things Tulips. The history of the flower, the best practices for growing them and displaying them, and even information on different tulip festivals you can visit today. Very informative book! Would be a great gift too.
The tulip is a flower that is instantly recognizable, even though there are over 14 different varieties of it. They are interwoven with the history of countries, the phenomenon of tulipmania, saving populations from starvation, and birthing the language of floriography with their wide variety of colors (before the Victorians perfected it with far more intricate bouquets). Tara Austen Weaver astonishingly covers these vast subjects well in this charming, slim book.
Weaver is an award-winning author, editor, and Master Gardener, tackling the subject with the utmost experience. Tulips: The Little Book of Flowers (Sasquatch Books, 2023) contains not only basic botanical facts about tulips and their care, but also their history, lore, and notable gardens and growers, so that any reader can have the opportunity to see the flowers in their true glory.
The book also contains over 40 full-color botanical illustrations by Emily Poole. These illustrations showcase the different varieties of tulips, adding a visual element to the in-depth descriptions that helps the reader better understand the blooms, as well as their historical underpinnings. For instance, did you know the scales that cover the tulip bulbs are edible? There were even cookbooks released detailing ways to eat them during the famine that wrecked the Netherlands in 1944 to 1945.
While a full survey of tulipmania is beyond the scope of this particular book, it is charming and sure to warm any gardener’s heart. Tulips offers enough information to whet the appetite, and encourages further study of the flowers and floriography. Full of quotes and context, it is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in dipping their toe into the world of flowers.
Tulips are my favourite flower but I didn’t know this much about them! The drawings are really beautiful and make me want to grow one of each of these beautiful tulips. This is a nice little book that is easy to read and you’ll walk away feeling like you’ve learned something new today!
This is an absolutely gorgeous book! As the title suggests the book covers all things to do with tulips. Tulip festivals, how to care for them, how to display them and their individual names and information about each type. What I found most interesting however was the history of the tulip as a flower, how it spread to different countries and became associated with The Netherlands. What really makes the book though is the illustrations throughout. Beautifully drawn tulips filling whole pages make up a lot of the space making it a great book for coffee tables as well as for learning. I also appreciated quotes associated with tulips that were included, including one about how easy it is to postpone joy and miss the brief time of a flowering tulip- some food for thought.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a book that was laying around the Netgalley shelves while it looked quite intriguing and since I hadn't seen my sister pick it up I chose to go ahead to crack it open to read since I had just gotten down with a book about trees. My first impression was that this would be a book filled with illustrations of tulips but instead I got so much more than I had bargained for.
<i>Tulips: A Little Book of Flowers</i> is a combination small book that is full of punch for readers. Interspersed throughout are colored artworks of various tulip cultivars with their names, quotes that include various aspects of the flower, floral history, tan page excerpts to provide readers with more information on a given subject found within the immediate pages, a summary glance at different groups of the flowers as well as the time they are most like to flower and so much more. There is further information for those who are interested on how to grow, harvest and decorate with tulips as well as places where you can visit to see them when they are on their full glory in various tulip festivals around the world.
My biggest reason for not including the five stars is mostly related to the illustrations. First of all I would have loved to have seen even more of the various cultivars that were mentioned but not included. At the same time I can also understand the need to keep this book small for easier reader consumption that isn't overwhelming while the amount of illustrations were both gorgeous in their own right while at the same time holding a diversity to charm any reader who may not know much about this seemingly simple flower.
Another issue that prickled my reading sensibilities was the fact that with the digital format even though page numbers were listed for the inclusion of illustrated cultivars that weren't close to the page of mention it was much too hard to flip back-and-forth while getting the reader back to the the reading location where one left off. Would it be asking too much to make those page numbers links that could help the digital to easily flip back and forth between the two?
All in all I must say that I have truly enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought that I would have and if I should come across others in the series I wouldn't mind taking a look into them as well. This will most definitely be a wonderful present for those who are into floral gardening, floral arts or even just those who enjoy tulips in their own rights.
**I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Sometimes winter seems to drag on a bit too long, but it's always a consolation to know that in just a few short months there'll be brilliantly colored tulips decorating the currently snow-covered flower beds. The early spring flowers - tulips, daffodils and pansies - are my favorites, and I was happy to learn more about the most spectacular of the group.
Weaver provides a lot of information here. The reader learns about the history of these beautiful flowers, and also how to plant, harvest, and display cut flowers. There's also a bit on forcing bulbs if you just can't wait for Mother Nature to work her magic.
In all, a fascinating book.
I only wish there'd been more illustrations to help chase away those winter doldrums.
Tulips are my favourite flowers. They are very predominant in Ottoman art and there is a time period in Ottoman history named after tulips . They were also widely traded in Western Europe and the fascination and obsession with tulips led to what is considered the first economic bubble.
You can learn more about tulips in this great book full of lots of information and beautiful illustrations
Beautiful book and now I want to get the whole series! Tulips are SO fascinating and this book expounds on every aspect of their history and intricacies. I had no idea that tulips were used as emergency food during a famine or were treated like currency at the height of economic luxury. The gorgeous varieties are illustrated and described in detail without being tedious. Flower history and culture, what to plant, how to plant, where to plant, how to successfully nurture, and then style and decorating ideas are all covered in this one book. I would definitely recommend this as a gift or for your personal library!
Thank you, NetGalley!
A mix of beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations, history, information and advice, Tulips is sure to please any flower lover or gardener.
I appreciated not only the illustrations of different tulip species but also the drawing labeling each part of a tulip.
The history provided is rich and detailed. Sure, we’ve all heard of Tulip Mania, but this book goes much deeper.
It even includes tulip festivals and farms to visit around the world, which have been added to my bucket list!
This book doubles as a nice coffee table book and reference book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Sasquatch books for the ARC!
A terrific book to read during winter in anticipation of spring! But this little book would make a great gift to any gardener at any time of the year. As a bulb enthusiast (nearly 5,000 bulbs planted and a double “pilgrim” to Keukenhof in Holland), I found this to be the best book about tulips (and I immediately pre-ordered a hardcover). Most tulip books do go into the history of tulips from Turkey to the Dutch Tulip-Mania, but this one also comprehensively covers the various types and which ones grow when. I’m going to use this book when the inevitable bulb catalogs start filling my mailbox again. Added bonus: lists of tulip festivals around the world. Tulips are only around for a couple of months each year, but they make spring the absolute best season.
Much credit must also go to Emily Poole, the botanical illustrator.
Ms. Weaver has done similar books on peonies and dahlias — I hope she considers daffodils next!
5 stars! This book should find its way into the gift shops of botanical gardens across the country.
Thank you to Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I adore tulips, they are my favorite flower, and I love to learn about the varieties and differences in all the types. This book is excellent for that! It's illustrations are detailed and gorgeous and I learned so much!
If you have anything - ANYTHING - about tulips, just get this book when it comes out in February 2023! It’s so freaking good and I am here for it!
The botanical, the environmental, the historical, the art aspects about them: everything is here in this book!
The book seems so short yet it feels like it has endless information and gorgeous full page illustrations about different tulips!
I am a sucker for tulips. Because, for unknown reasons, it’s my favourite flower ever since I came to know about flowers. Roses are too common for everyone but when it comes to tulips, there’s nothing ordinary!
Thank you, Sasquatch Books, for the advance reading copy.