Sponsor a book
Sponsor a book from our collection to support an extraordinary body of botanical knowledge.
Kew’s Library, Art and Archives is one of the most extensive botanical libraries in the world, spanning 2,000 years of plant knowledge and discovery.
With information on the naming, classification and uses of plants, plant ecology, conservation, and the wild plants of the world, it's a treasure trove of plant stories.
Sponsor a book from our collection for a unique way to support this extraordinary body of botanical knowledge.
Plus, the proceeds will help towards preserving all of Kew’s remarkable treasures for the future.
How to sponsor
To sponsor a book, we ask for a donation of £250.
Your personal dedication will be added to our online commemorative register, and you will be able to view the book and bookplate in the Kew Library.
For more information, email commemorative@kew.org or call 020 8332 3645.
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Flora of the Codex Cruz-Badianus
Arthur O. Tucker, Jules Janick. Springer, 2020
A detailed examination of the manuscript of 1552 now known as the Codex Cruz-Badianus, or the Aztec Herbal. The original Codex was written in the Nahuatl language in Mexico in 1552 by Martin de La Cruz, and translated into Latin by Juan Badiano. This book reproduces the 185 colour plant illustrations from the manuscript, with identification of the plants and translation of the text describing their medicinal uses by the Aztecs. Modern colour photographs of the plants are included.
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Capturing Nature : 150 years of nature printing
M. Zucker & Pia Ostlund, eds. Zucker Art Books, 2022.
Nature printing is the practice of using impressions from the surface of natural objects such as leaves, flowering plants, ferns, and seaweed to produce an image. This visually striking book assembles full page illustrations taken from the vast Zucker Collection of nature prints, using 45 different methods of nature printing including rare blue cyanotypes. The prints span from 1733 to 1902, and are augmented with a text explaining the different methods employed. The resulting book is a beautiful object in its own right and also a pioneering reference work for those interested in botanical illustrations.
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Lithops in habitat and cultivation
Roy A. Earle, Janice E. Round. Artwork by Janet Snyman. Privately published, 2021
A beautifully-produced book which covers all aspects of these unique succulents, known as 'flowering stones' in their native South Africa. An account of 40 accepted species forms the core of the book, covering taxonomy, habitat and conservation, enhanced by numerous colour photographs and maps. A special feature of the book is the outstanding artwork by Janet Snyman, illustrating each of the species.
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The Green Middle Ages : the depiction and use of plants in the Western World, 600-1600
C. Chavannes-Mazel & L. Ijpelaar, eds. Amsterdam University Press, 2022.
This is a collection of scholarly essays on medieval Western use of plants for food, medicine and dyestuffs, as well as their symbolic significance in the literature of the time. The Middle Ages were “green” in that the natural world of plants was fully integrated into people’s daily lives, in a manner not as apparent today. The book is heavily illustrated with superb colour illustrations, mostly full page, from medieval herbals, and includes a detailed examination of plants appearing in the margins of illuminated manuscripts.
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Botanic Endeavour : the Florilegium Society celebrates the Banks and Solander collection
Curated by Colleen Morris & Beverly Allen. The Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, 2020.
This sumptuous book was produced to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s voyage to Australia and New Zealand in the “Endeavour”. The book links the herbarium specimens collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander on their expedition to Australia, with the living plants now to be seen in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. 45 paintings by renowned botanical artists from round the world are reproduced in lavish double-page spreads which contrast the painting of the living plant with a digitised image of the corresponding specimen from the Banks and Solander Herbarium. There is a botanical description of each plant, with Australian indigenous names and uses where available, and extracts from the journals of Banks and Solander. The book is published in a limited edition of 600 copies.
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The Botany of Beer : an illustrated guide to more than 500 plants used in brewing. Giuseppe Caruso. Columbia University Press, 2022.
The book is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated compendium of the characteristics and properties of the plants used in making beer around the world. More than 500 plant species are given a scientific description, an account of which parts of the plant are employed in brewing, as well as details of chemical composition, potential toxicity, and examples of beers and styles in which each plant is typically used. The author’s delicate black and white line drawings enhance every page.
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Herbarium : Medicinal plants of the Dolomites. Ernesto Riva. Antiga Edizioni, 2022.
The author is a practising pharmacist in the Dolomites area of Italy, and spent many years in the field, identifying, collecting, drying and photographing the region’s medicinal plants to build his own private herbarium, documented in this sumptuous book. Around 200 plants are illustrated with full page colour plates as well as supplementary colour photographs and line drawings. The history and therapeutic uses of each plant is examined. Text in both Italian and English.
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Aquatic plants of northern and central Europe, including Britain and Ireland. Jens C. Schou et al. Princeton University Press, 2023.
This impressive book is the first comprehensive guide to the identification of the region's 410 species of flowering plants that are dependent upon freshwater wetlands – plants whose habitat is freshwater streams, rivers and lakes. British, Danish and German specialists have collaborated on the work, which is lavishly illustrated on every page with colour photographs, line drawings and distribution maps. This is destined to be the standard reference work on aquatic plants of Europe, Britain and Ireland for many years to come.
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Seeds of knowledge : early modern illustrated herbals. Edited by Michael Jakob. Silvana Editoriale, 2023.
This substantial book is the catalogue of an exhibition of early herbals held at the Morgan Library & Museum, New York, in 2023. The 27 choice herbals date from the 15th to early 17th centuries, and show the evolution of early book printing and herbal illustration. Every page features colour illustrations from these beautiful early medicinal books, as well as their impressive bindings. Scholarly essays examine the history of each featured herbal.
