Rosa: The Story of the Rose
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-30 10:52:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Peter E. Kukielski
- ISBN：0300251114
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Summary
A beautifully illustrated and unique history of the rose—the “queen of flowers”—in art， medicine， cuisine， and more
“Rich in fascinating cultural history， Rosa takes us on a joyous visual romp through the stories and symbolism of the most iconic of all garden flowers。”—Peter Crane， author of Ginkgo: The Tree that Time Forgot
Few flowers have quite the same allure or as significant a place in history as the rose。 A symbol of love， power， royalty， beauty， and joy， the rose has played many roles， both literal and symbolic， in poetry， art， literature， music， fashion， medicine， perfume， decoration， cuisine， and more。
In this beautifully illustrated guide， award-winning horticulturist Peter E。 Kukielski and his coauthor， Charles Phillips， tell the fascinating and many-layered history of this “queen of flowers。” The book explores many stories from the long association of roses with human societies， from their first cultivation—likely in China some five thousand years ago—to their modern genetic cultivars。 It shows how roses have been prominent across time and many cultures， including ancient Greece and Rome， Christianity， Islam， and Sufism。
The book， with more than 140 color illustrations， offers a unique look at the essential contributions that roses have made throughout human history。
“Rich in fascinating cultural history， Rosa takes us on a joyous visual romp through the stories and symbolism of the most iconic of all garden flowers。”—Peter Crane， author of Ginkgo: The Tree that Time Forgot
Few flowers have quite the same allure or as significant a place in history as the rose。 A symbol of love， power， royalty， beauty， and joy， the rose has played many roles， both literal and symbolic， in poetry， art， literature， music， fashion， medicine， perfume， decoration， cuisine， and more。
In this beautifully illustrated guide， award-winning horticulturist Peter E。 Kukielski and his coauthor， Charles Phillips， tell the fascinating and many-layered history of this “queen of flowers。” The book explores many stories from the long association of roses with human societies， from their first cultivation—likely in China some five thousand years ago—to their modern genetic cultivars。 It shows how roses have been prominent across time and many cultures， including ancient Greece and Rome， Christianity， Islam， and Sufism。
The book， with more than 140 color illustrations， offers a unique look at the essential contributions that roses have made throughout human history。
Reviews
April Gray
，
What a lovely book！ The photos and illustrations are gorgeous- how could they not be， given the subject matter！ The information， though， is the real star here。 Now， if you're looking for a book that's strictly botanical information about the plants that encompass the rose family， you may be disappointed （though there is plenty of that here）; the authors have also provided a rich history of roses， from prehistoric fossils showing roses have been around for millions of years， to roses in folklore， What a lovely book！ The photos and illustrations are gorgeous- how could they not be， given the subject matter！ The information， though， is the real star here。 Now， if you're looking for a book that's strictly botanical information about the plants that encompass the rose family， you may be disappointed （though there is plenty of that here）; the authors have also provided a rich history of roses， from prehistoric fossils showing roses have been around for millions of years， to roses in folklore， myths， and legends， their symbolism in religion and art， and more。 A fascinating book， sure to please any rose lover！#Rosa #NetGalley 。。。more
Bookworm Extraordinaire
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This book was certainly gorgeous， that is for sure。 I loved all the beautiful photos and vintage illustrations。 The design is also well done， which adds to its overall visual appeal。 Which I think it quite important in a book of this type。 It is written in an interesting and engaging way。 Sometimes these types of books can get "textbook" in their writing， but this was not the case here。 I especially loved all the information about the "rose" in ancient times and cultures。This would definitely ma This book was certainly gorgeous， that is for sure。 I loved all the beautiful photos and vintage illustrations。 The design is also well done， which adds to its overall visual appeal。 Which I think it quite important in a book of this type。 It is written in an interesting and engaging way。 Sometimes these types of books can get "textbook" in their writing， but this was not the case here。 I especially loved all the information about the "rose" in ancient times and cultures。This would definitely make a perfect gift for an avid gardener！ 👍🌹👍**ARC Via NetGalley** 。。。more
Marie Raymond
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The Armchair Rose Book for Rose LoversI received an advance review copy from the publisher through NetGalley and here are my thoughts。If you are a rose lover。 Get it。If you are looking for a gift for a rose lover。 Get it。This book is jammed packed with gorgeous images of roses， their history， origin， and influence on the humans who love them。 If you use the Look Inside feature， you can see the Contents page giving you all you need to know about what topics are covered。 But do you really need to The Armchair Rose Book for Rose LoversI received an advance review copy from the publisher through NetGalley and here are my thoughts。If you are a rose lover。 Get it。If you are looking for a gift for a rose lover。 Get it。This book is jammed packed with gorgeous images of roses， their history， origin， and influence on the humans who love them。 If you use the Look Inside feature， you can see the Contents page giving you all you need to know about what topics are covered。 But do you really need to do that？No。 Just get it。 Love at first sight for this book！ Are you still reading？It's beautifully designed。 You'll want a copy for each room of the house。Rose lovers。 Stop reading this review。All others。。。。go and get this book for the rose lovers you know。 。。。more
Meghan
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This book was received as an ARC from Yale University Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。I am a lover of roses but I never knew that there were so many。 I could not get over the abundance of colors roses can have to them and the shapes of some of them were pretty fascinating to look at （huge props to the photographer）。 We have a lot of patrons with green thumbs and are horticulture enthusiasts and they will definitely appr This book was received as an ARC from Yale University Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。I am a lover of roses but I never knew that there were so many。 I could not get over the abundance of colors roses can have to them and the shapes of some of them were pretty fascinating to look at （huge props to the photographer）。 We have a lot of patrons with green thumbs and are horticulture enthusiasts and they will definitely appreciate what this book has to offer。 The beautiful photographs and layout of the book will definitely attract their attention for sure and with all of the different facts and information presented in the book， you'll definitely learn something new each time you read it。We will consider adding this title to our SB Non-Fiction collection at our library。 That is why we give this book 5 stars。 。。。more
Alaina
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This book contains so much information about roses。 This book fascinated me since roses are one of my favorite flowers。 It contains so much information including the history， the varieties and so forth。 This book would be perfect for any person who wants to know more about this flower。 The book also contain illustrations and photos throughout。Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review。
Abigail Mae
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This book is very interesting and thorough。 I am nothing more than a rose admirer and I found this book interesting。 At times it seemed a little dry， but that was because the content did not interest me。 The author starts the book at the beginning of time and works his way through ancient and modern history， tracing the rose。 He includes references， quotes， artwork， and artifacts to explain and elaborate on the history of the rose。 Some stories were very interesting and little "tidbits" of infor This book is very interesting and thorough。 I am nothing more than a rose admirer and I found this book interesting。 At times it seemed a little dry， but that was because the content did not interest me。 The author starts the book at the beginning of time and works his way through ancient and modern history， tracing the rose。 He includes references， quotes， artwork， and artifacts to explain and elaborate on the history of the rose。 Some stories were very interesting and little "tidbits" of information are sprinkled throughout。 There were many moments in history that are influenced by the rose and I never put those pieces together。 Now I feel like I can。 The book was very informative and well organized。 I would recommend it to any flower enthusiast or for a beautiful and conversation-starter book to have on hand。 。。。more
Cat
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Thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press for the chance to read a digital copy of this beautiful book！This book is so visually luscious that even the table of contents is beautiful。 All kinds of images--color photographs， botanical illustrations， paintings， maps， and more--adorn these pages。 It starts with an overview of the three classes of roses--wild or "species" roses， and then cultivated roses either "old" or "modern" divided by the year 1867， when "La France" was developed by devel Thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press for the chance to read a digital copy of this beautiful book！This book is so visually luscious that even the table of contents is beautiful。 All kinds of images--color photographs， botanical illustrations， paintings， maps， and more--adorn these pages。 It starts with an overview of the three classes of roses--wild or "species" roses， and then cultivated roses either "old" or "modern" divided by the year 1867， when "La France" was developed by developed by crossing a Hybrid and Tea Rose。 We then spend the rest of the book touring the rose throughout history， from rose fossils to the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast， visiting China， Rome， Notre Dame cathedral， Shakespeare， the Ottoman empire， and the Underground Railroad in between。 Though the prose is not exactly the point of a book like this， it still contains many fun tidbits about roses used for both murder （Roman emperors） and miracles （Saint Casilda）。 And come on， 5 stars just for the section header "Alexander， the Great Admirer of Roses。"I had a delightful time reading this book and I immediately purchased it as a Valentine's Day present for my family， as they love flowers of all kinds and I know both the scientists and the history lovers will enjoy the detail in these pages。 I have never been much on buying bouquets for holidays so I think this book is the perfect Valentine's Day rose for the person in your life who can come back to this beautiful book again and again。 。。。more
Brenda
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"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns， or rejoice because thorns have roses。" Alphonse Karr。 Wonderful outlook and a wonderful book！The photography and illustrations are beguiling and resplendent with beauty and the wealth of information is absolutely glorious。 The writing style is lovely， too; instructive yet not textbookish。 As a master gardener and traveler I have had the opportunity to visit many， many rose gardens， rose windows and frescoes， many of which are included here which "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns， or rejoice because thorns have roses。" Alphonse Karr。 Wonderful outlook and a wonderful book！The photography and illustrations are beguiling and resplendent with beauty and the wealth of information is absolutely glorious。 The writing style is lovely， too; instructive yet not textbookish。 As a master gardener and traveler I have had the opportunity to visit many， many rose gardens， rose windows and frescoes， many of which are included here which transported me in a nanosecond。 Oh， how I appreciate that！Roses are featured in ancient history through the Middle Ages to the Victorian era to current times and play a part in romance， religion， legends and cultures。 The focus here is mainly on history rather than modern times but there are a few sections on the latter， too。 You will read about their appearance on fossils， Greek writings， Alexander the Great's wide knowledge of roses， roses' use as currency， smothering by petals at ancient banquets， political and romantic symbolism， how rose water and oil was and is created （lovely to cook with rose water！）， scent， colour and healing properties and stupendous botanical illustrations。 Additionally， there is a section on planting them for our future and to hold memories dear。 The poetry woven throughout is a beautiful inclusion。 There is so much more as well。Anyone with a passion for roses and their history or those who wish to learn more about them in general， this inspiring book definitely has something for you。 I cannot recommend it enough。 If this book doesn't capture your spirit， nothing will。 How wonderful that such information has been preserved in words and art for us to enjoy。My sincere thank you to Yale University Press and NetGalley。 。。。more
Annie
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Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Rosa is a beautifully illustrated and very well written study of the history and uses of the "queen of the flowers"。 Due out 16th Feb 2021 from Yale University Press， it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover format。Almost everyone loves roses。 They have been prized throughout history for their beautiful color， scents， medicinal and food uses， for their blossoms， and their usefulness in the garden plantings。This book is information dens Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Rosa is a beautifully illustrated and very well written study of the history and uses of the "queen of the flowers"。 Due out 16th Feb 2021 from Yale University Press， it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover format。Almost everyone loves roses。 They have been prized throughout history for their beautiful color， scents， medicinal and food uses， for their blossoms， and their usefulness in the garden plantings。This book is information dense and beautifully illustrated survey of the history and uses of plants in the rose family。 The information is logically arranged and accessible。 The introduction gives a review of the plants in the rose family， including fruits， trees， and shrubs。 The following chapters cover history， migration （by humans）， through the middle ages and into the modern era。 Throughout， the book is gorgeously illustrated and photographed with color photos on every page。 The book also includes valuable links and bibliography resources for further reading as well as an index。Five stars。 This would be a superlative choice for public library， gardening groups， for gifting to a gardening friend， or for the gardener's own home library。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Ashley
，
If you are at all interested in plant history， then this is the book for you！ Why not start with the most famous flower of them all: the rose！ Roses have a long， long， long history， from the ancient world to the modern day， used in art， food， medicine， literature。。。everything。 Rose oil in perfume， rose petals as decor， the rose as the symbol of a dynasty （Tudor rose， anyone？） as a religious symbol， roses as a symbol of love/romance/etc。 etc。 etc。 etc。 Roses， man。 Rosa contains literally everythi If you are at all interested in plant history， then this is the book for you！ Why not start with the most famous flower of them all: the rose！ Roses have a long， long， long history， from the ancient world to the modern day， used in art， food， medicine， literature。。。everything。 Rose oil in perfume， rose petals as decor， the rose as the symbol of a dynasty （Tudor rose， anyone？） as a religious symbol， roses as a symbol of love/romance/etc。 etc。 etc。 etc。 Roses， man。 Rosa contains literally everything you've ever wanted to know about roses， including the fact that blue roses don't actually exist （my dreams: crushed） but that green roses do exist （my dreams: alive again！）。 So if you want a fun deep dive into a very， very specific topic， give this book a go。 。。。more
Elaina
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Magnificent！ We are taken on a beautiful journey of the origin， legend， history and different interpretations of the rose， all nicely intertwined with its cultural， social， medicinal， literal， artistic， and religions aspects。
Elif
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I appreciate roses a lot more now！https://elifthereader。com/books/rosa-。。。 I appreciate roses a lot more now！https://elifthereader。com/books/rosa-。。。 。。。more
Kelly Hodgkins
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Roses are my favourite flower and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning more about them over the last four years when we moved to our new home。 It was with this enthusiasm that I started “Rosa” by Peter E。 Kukielski and his coauthor， Charles Phillips。 There are stunning photos and illustrations of roses and certainly a lot of facts about them too。 However， I found the book to be too detailed on what felt like rabbit holes such as quite a bit of information on Robbie Burns because he wrote a poem desc Roses are my favourite flower and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning more about them over the last four years when we moved to our new home。 It was with this enthusiasm that I started “Rosa” by Peter E。 Kukielski and his coauthor， Charles Phillips。 There are stunning photos and illustrations of roses and certainly a lot of facts about them too。 However， I found the book to be too detailed on what felt like rabbit holes such as quite a bit of information on Robbie Burns because he wrote a poem describing someone like a rose or a historical review of the “war of the roses” in England。 I’d hoped for more rose plant information， directly related to it’s history and formation as a bush and into different flower styles。 This was a short section at the beginning。 It also spent far too many pages for me on Greek and Roman history。It is well-written， so I recommend you read the contents and decide it appeals to you before picking it up。 For me， it was a three out of five enJOYment scale。 。。。more
Akanksha Dutta （Athena Book Briefs）
，
I was attracted to this book not just due to the beautiful artwork and images of Roses， the protagonist of this book， but also because of the element of the cultural significance of the Rose across eras， regions and religions。 The book is cleverly divided into chapters based on the interface of roses with cultures like the Greek and Roman， Modern popular culture as well as the contrast between their significance to religion as well as secular views。 I knew about maybe a handful of types of Roses I was attracted to this book not just due to the beautiful artwork and images of Roses， the protagonist of this book， but also because of the element of the cultural significance of the Rose across eras， regions and religions。 The book is cleverly divided into chapters based on the interface of roses with cultures like the Greek and Roman， Modern popular culture as well as the contrast between their significance to religion as well as secular views。 I knew about maybe a handful of types of Roses but I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the wide varieties （With very different appearances） within the species。 I particularly entertained by the significance of Roses to artists as I've seen people rendering roses in multiple media。 I know I was inspired to render the lesser known rose varieties in water colours or embroidery。 This book will engross anyone with an interest in Botany and cultures。 。。。more
Monika
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Beautiful illustrations with unknown facts about Queen of flowers throughout human history。 There are hundreds of varieties of Roses 🌹 can you imagine？！ WowThank you Netgalley， Yale university press for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion。
Alicia Bayer
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This is a beautiful book if you want to learn more about roses in history。 It's incredibly thorough and deals with how roses were used in all different cultures， in religion， in art， you name it。 It starts with a basic explanation of the science of roses， their family， cultivars and information like that。 The vast majority of the book， though， is about how roses were used around the world and throughout time。 It's beautifully illustrated and very well researched。 If you're only an expert on rose This is a beautiful book if you want to learn more about roses in history。 It's incredibly thorough and deals with how roses were used in all different cultures， in religion， in art， you name it。 It starts with a basic explanation of the science of roses， their family， cultivars and information like that。 The vast majority of the book， though， is about how roses were used around the world and throughout time。 It's beautifully illustrated and very well researched。 If you're only an expert on roses in the gardening sense， this will teach you all kinds of fascinating new things about them。I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review。 。。。more
Melissa
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*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley。Roses are a flower that I've learned to appreciate。 Years ago， when I thought of them only as a gesture of romance， they weren't as appealing to me as live plants or other flowers。 But now， having a bit of dirt to play in and grow things and learning more about them， they're quickly becoming one of my favored plants in the garden。 From making rose syrup to candied petals， they're even edible as well！ This book takes the rose t *This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley。Roses are a flower that I've learned to appreciate。 Years ago， when I thought of them only as a gesture of romance， they weren't as appealing to me as live plants or other flowers。 But now， having a bit of dirt to play in and grow things and learning more about them， they're quickly becoming one of my favored plants in the garden。 From making rose syrup to candied petals， they're even edible as well！ This book takes the rose through history， from ancient Greece， Rome， and Egypt， to the present where hybridization and other initiatives are taking place。 Each chapter uncovers what was popular about the rose during that time whether it was as a medicinal， decorative， or consumable crop。 It also talked about works of art， literature， and other references that would include the rose during the time period。 The section at the beginning also goes through rose species and types in general， with information about each and an accompanying picture for identification。I found myself saving tons of quotes from this book and getting inspiration from it as I had never heard some of the poems or pieces of literature that incorporated roses。 Which is surprising， since there are many， and many by well known artists and writers。 It was a bit inspirational to be quite frank and I appreciated their inclusion。 I also thought that all the pictures and illustrations were well thought out and helped truly give a sense of the rose in the time period。 This is definitely more of a coffee table or physical type book that you'd want because of the pictures though。 E-reader's won't really do it justice。This was a well done， thorough book on such a favorite flower of many。 I can't wait to start searching in the spring for some more roses for the garden。Review by M。 Reynard 2020 。。。more
Justine
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