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How to Know the Wild Flowers
First published in 1893, this field guide offers the history, legends, and etymological derivations of various wildflowers
287 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1895
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 13, 2016
I purchased my copy of this book at a used bookshop - and I LOVE it. It is organized in the most simple yet ingenious manner: flower color, ordered by bloom time.
See a yellow flower in early April, simply page to the chapter titled Yellow and within the first few pages. Is it yellow, but instead blooming in October? Look under Yellow on the last few pages of the chapter. Genius!
The author's short descriptions are perfect -- in fact, I identified many of my wildflower photographs using this book alone. I highly recommend it for both its nostalgic feel as well as its usefulness.
See a yellow flower in early April, simply page to the chapter titled Yellow and within the first few pages. Is it yellow, but instead blooming in October? Look under Yellow on the last few pages of the chapter. Genius!
The author's short descriptions are perfect -- in fact, I identified many of my wildflower photographs using this book alone. I highly recommend it for both its nostalgic feel as well as its usefulness.
August 7, 2024
This was a book I thought I would never read. I initially bought it at a book sale because the cover was absolutely gorgeous and I let it sit on my shelf for almost a year. I eventually gave in and hoped I would retain something.
Since this book talks about flowers in New England, I’m excited to hopefully recognize a few, though I found the book a bit boring because it was all about plants and most pages follow a similar structure. However, How to Know the Wild Flowers, is different from just a text book because of its beautiful colored illustrations and additional citations like lines of poetry which I luckily enjoyed. I would recommend reading this books if you enjoy botany, which I don’t, but I can at least still appreciate this classic.
Another delightful extra in the book was the flowery-pun intended-language that gave the book and the author an interesting voice (I personally would never call a plant’s name ugly, but she knows more than I do). I would like to someday be able to find her other books to add to my collection, even just as “coffee table books.”
Since this book talks about flowers in New England, I’m excited to hopefully recognize a few, though I found the book a bit boring because it was all about plants and most pages follow a similar structure. However, How to Know the Wild Flowers, is different from just a text book because of its beautiful colored illustrations and additional citations like lines of poetry which I luckily enjoyed. I would recommend reading this books if you enjoy botany, which I don’t, but I can at least still appreciate this classic.
Another delightful extra in the book was the flowery-pun intended-language that gave the book and the author an interesting voice (I personally would never call a plant’s name ugly, but she knows more than I do). I would like to someday be able to find her other books to add to my collection, even just as “coffee table books.”
September 14, 2017
An excellent resource.
February 3, 2008
It is sad that there is no cover image for this book, because the illustrations are so lovely; they give me the sense that I am handling something quite precious when I flip through the pages.
August 4, 2009
A long-time favorite of mine. Beautiful color drawings make it so easy to identify all the flowers in your yard, along the roadways, natural areas, etc. A real classic.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews