Kew Gardens

Moncrieff, A. R. Hope (Ascott Robert Hope), 1846-1Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 255K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Kew Gardens by A. R. Hope MoncrieffAuthor: Moncrieff, A. R. Hope (Ascott Robert Hope), 1846-1927,Language: English, Class: QK: Science: Botany, Release Date: Nov 7, 2017

Editor's review

Moncrieff's Kew Gardens is a botanical work centered on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Its strength lies not in a gardener's manual of practical instruction but in an essayistic approach that links the history, spatial layout, and plant landscapes of a famous botanic garden, allowing readers to take a paper stroll through its pages. The book offers both an overall view of the gardens' environment and plant collections and the unhurried curiosity characteristic of natural history writing, making it a suitable introduction to Kew and the British botanical tradition. For contemporary readers its value is twofold: it offers a perspective on the botanic garden as a public cultural space, and it lets one rediscover the intellectual richness of "visiting a garden." Because it was written long ago, some information may not fully correspond to the gardens today; it is best read as a historical and humanistic guide rather than an up-to-date visitor's handbook. It suits browsing before or after a garden trip, and makes fine bedside reading as a natural history essay.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Travelers planning to visit a botanic garden who want background on the gardens first
Readers interested in natural history writing and the history of botanic gardens
Those who enjoy essay-style popular science and are willing to read a humanistic guide slowly
Gardening enthusiasts hoping to broaden their perspective on nature observation

Not a good fit for

Visitors needing up-to-date garden maps, opening information, and practical guides
Readers expecting a systematic textbook of plant taxonomy or cultivation techniques
Readers who prefer strong plot-driven narrative and lack patience for natural history essays

Reading tips

Read it through once for an overall impression, then revisit relevant chapters alongside current information about Kew.
Combine reading with a real or virtual garden stroll, pausing to observe when a particular landscape is mentioned.
Jot down the plants and spaces mentioned to build your own natural history notes.
Read by theme rather than in order—for example, the garden layout first, then the plant collections.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this book serve as a visitor's guide to Kew?

It is not suitable as an up-to-date visitor's guide. It was written long ago, and the layout, collections, and opening information may differ from today. It is better used as a historical and humanistic background read to build an overall picture of Kew before a visit; specific routes and current information still need to be checked against official sources.

Can I read it without a background in botany?

Yes. The book leans toward essay-style natural history writing, focusing on garden landscapes and cultural context rather than dense professional terminology. Readers without a botanical background can follow the text; unfamiliar plant names can be looked up as you go, which adds to the pleasure of exploration.

How is it different from an ordinary travel guide?

Ordinary travel guides focus on routes, facilities, and practical information, whereas this book describes the spatial character and plant landscapes of the gardens from a natural history essayist's perspective. It offers an understanding of a botanic garden's historical and humanistic layers rather than immediate service information; the two can be used together.

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About the author

Moncrieff, A. R. Hope (Ascott Robert Hope), 1846-1 Author

A. R. Hope Moncrieff (Ascott Robert Hope Moncrieff, 1846–?) was a British writer of topographical and travel works active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; details of his life and the year of his death are scarce in publicly available sources. Six of his works are held here, including The Heart of Scotland, Isle of Wight, Bonnie Scotland, Surrey, Kew Gardens and Middlesex. They focus on the landscapes, local history and gardens of Britain and were written for general readers, combining a guidebook's usefulness with literary charm. His style is narrative and descriptive, weaving place-name lore, rural scenery and anecdotes about notable figures into accessible, companionable prose suited to leisurely reading. Such regional books were popular in the age of railway travel, helping readers form a broad impression of local culture beyond a single visit, and they remain readable popular references for the British places and travel writing of their time.