10 INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL NEW BOOKS ABOUT SPRING!

Spring is busting out beautifully! To kick off the most beautiful spring ever, we’ve curated a fabulous collection of new books that can help you usher in the season. Check them out below.

1. THE PLANT LOVER’S GUIDE TO MAGNOLIAS

One of the most beautiful flowers of the spring, with its pale voluptuous petals, the magnolia, is celebrated in The Plant Lover's Guide to Magnolias, a new book by Andrew Bunting.  

Bunting’s essential book has everything and anything you might want to know about the magnolia, including design, culture, and maintenance, with a plant directory listing hundreds of the best cultivars and species.

Bunting, the assistant director of the Chicago Botanic Garden, is all about magnolias. He helped build a national collection of magnolias recognized by the North American Plant Collections Consortium at the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College. And he is on the board of directors for the Magnolia Society International.

Publisher: Timber Press (2016)

2. PARADISE AND PLENTY: A ROTHSCHILD FAMILY

Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden, by Mary Keen, gives us an unprecedented view of what some aficionados consider to be the finest private garden in the world.

Led by renowned head gardener Sue Dickinson, this garden produces all the fruit, vegetables, and flowers for this legendary Rothschild estate in in Buckinghamshire, England, where this legendary family lives and entertains, to legendary standards.

With gorgeous color photography throughout, 7 double gatefolds, and an elegant ribbon marker, this book is a magnificent way to launch into springtime -- and to remind you of its glory all year round. It just might be the most beautiful garden book of the year.

"Well-written and filled with seductive full color photographs, this book demands the attention of landscape designers and armchair gardeners alike." -- Publishers Weekly

Publisher: Pimpernel Press (2015)

3. EMILY MASON: THE LIGHT IN SPRING

Emily Mason: The Light in Spring, by David Ebony and Christina Weyl, presents 68 paintings and 32 prints recently created by the artist. This book is lavishly produced, with full-page, full color reproductions. It is a sequel to Emily Mason: The Fifth Element, also written by Ebony.

Publisher: UPNE (2015)

4. BIOGRAPHY OF THE BIKE: THE ULTIMATE HISTORY OF BIKE DESIGN

The history of the bike, from the invention of pedals to today’s electronic gearing, all rendered in a simple, yet effective manner is presented in Biography of the Bike: The Ultimate History of Bike Design a new book by Chris Boardman.

Filled with stories about the evolution of the bicycle and the culture surrounding it, loaded with photos of bikes, equipment close-ups, and historical action shots of famous cyclists, this book will inspire you to get up and go for a beautiful spin this spring… and beyond.  

Publisher: Voyageur Press (2015)

5. MONET’S PALATE COOKBOOK: THE ARTIST & HIS KITCHEN GARDEN AT GIVERNY

With his tender pastel petalled landscapes and garden dalliances, if there ever was a painter that could render the beauty of the spring season it was Claude Monet. Monet's Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny, a new book by filmmaker Aileen Bordman and garden writer Derek Fell, with foreword by Meryl Streep, is sure to spark some spring fever. 

This magnificent book includes 60 recipes, gardening information, ideas, and images of Monet's two-acre kitchen garden near his home at Giverny, France. It’s a culinary journey through spring, Monet style.

“Monet’s Palate evokes the very best colors on the garden table.”

- Anne Willan Author and Founder of La Varenne Cooking School.

Publisher: Gibbs Smith (2015)

6. UNDER THE GUISE OF SPRING: THE MESSAGE HIDDEN IN BOTTICELLI’S PRIMAVERA

Under the Guise of Spring: The Message Hidden in Botticelli's Primavera, by Eugene Lane-Spollen, delves into Botticelli's cleverly disguised message for Lorenzo Minore, the Magnificent de Medici’s cousin and ward, found on the right side of the painting.  There is more than meets the eye in La Primavera, Botticelli’s famous Renaissance painting, as pagans and Christians mix in the forest in the rites of spring.

Well researched and beautifully produced, this book contains 80 color plates and a full pullout reproduction of La Primavera for your spring viewing pleasure.

Publisher: Shepheard-Walwyn (2015)

7. SPRING

Spring, by Michelin-starred chef and food writer Skye Gyngell, celebrates the opening of Spring, her newest restaurant, at Somerset House, in London. Gyngell’s creative recipes are filled with fresh attitude and flavors.

Lush photos, by photographer Andy Sewell, keep us coming back to leaf through the pages and long for a vernal plate of Gyngell’s Sheep’s Milk Ravioli with Herb Butter, to start.

Publisher: Quadrille Publishing (2016)

8. MAGGIE BEER’S SPRING HARVEST RECIPES

South Australian Spring is rendered with exceptional detail in Maggie Beer's Spring Harvest Recipes, a delightful new book by the famed Australian chef, restaurateur, and food writer Maggie Beer.

Recipes, featuring seasonal ingredients and firsthand accounts of springtime repasts in Australia’s lush Barossa Valley will get you in the mood for warm breezes and early blossoms and will certainly whet your appetite for the beautiful bounty of spring.  

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia (2016)

9. EARLY SPRING IN ALASKA

The magnificence of Alaskan spring is brought to us courtesy of photographer and adventurer Didier Moise’s glorious images in his new book, Early Spring In Alaska.

As the Land of the Midnight Sun begins its welcome spring thaw, Didier brings us along on his journey, from his soaring overview in a ski-equipped plane, to his treks along the glaciers, from the patterns of ice melt, to the seasonal emergence of wildlife, Didier’s photos will take your breath away.

Publisher: Palm Focus Books (2015)

10. THE GARDENER’S BOOK OF COLOUR

The Gardener's Book of Colour, by gardener and photographer Andrew Lawson, is a complete guide to creating color effects in your garden. Filled with exceptional insights, and spectacular photos, this book suggests ways to use the power of color, in both harmony and contrast, in garden beds, borders, and containers.

Illustrated plant directories, arranged by color and flowering season, offer important information about the cultivation of more than 850 plants, so you can plan a parade of color that starts in spring and carries you through every beautiful garden season.

Publisher: Pimpernel Press (2015)

Read more about Beautiful Spring, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by ASkaugset. Magnolias. Hoyt Arboretum.
2. Image: Courtesy of Timber Press. The Plant Lover's Guide to Magnolias.
3. Image: by Josh Coceano, of Mani Verde. Magnolia Norman Gould.
4. Image: Courtesy of Pimpernel Press. Paradise and Plenty.
5. Image: Courtesy of Pimpernel Press. Paradise and Plenty.
6. Image: Courtesy of UPNE. Emily Mason: The Light in Spring.
7. Image: Courtesy of Voyageur Press. Biography of the Bike: The Ultimate History of Bike Design.
8. Image: Courtesy of Gibbs Smith. Monet's Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny.
9. Image: Courtesy of Gibbs Smith. Monet's Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny.
10. Image: Courtesy of Shepheard-Walwyn. Under the Guise of Spring: The Message Hidden in Botticelli's Primavera.
11. Image: Courtesy of Quadrille Publishing. Spring.
12. Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books Australia. Maggie Beer’s Spring Harvest Recipes.
13. Image: Courtesy of Palm Focus Books. Early Spring in Alaska.
14. Image: Courtesy of Pimpernel Press. The Gardener's Book of Colour.
15. Image: Courtesy of Magnolia Society. Magnolia Star Wars.
16. Image: by Laura Nolte. Magnolia Trees and Daffodils at Kew Gardens.
17. Image: by BN App - Download now!
18. Image: Courtesy of Quadrille Publishing. Spring.