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The Complete Language of
The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History (Volume 3)
The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive dictionary for over 1,001 flower species. Along with a visual depiction, each entry provides the flower's name, characteristics, and historic meanings from mythology, medieval legends, folklore, and flower poetry.
For centuries, symbolic flower meanings have fascinated readers, writers, poets, and suddenly smitten couples alike. Extremely popular during the Victorian era, these floriographies flourished and versed the public on the hidden meaning of popular flowers like peonies (bashfulness) and tulips (passion).Coupled with stunning full-color illustrations, this beautiful reference is a must-have for gardeners, florists, and flower enthusiasts. Whether you're looking to arrange the perfectly bespoken wedding bouquet or to understand what the yellow rose you just received from an admirer means (friendship), this updated floriography is a visual delight.
For centuries, symbolic flower meanings have fascinated readers, writers, poets, and suddenly smitten couples alike. Extremely popular during the Victorian era, these floriographies flourished and versed the public on the hidden meaning of popular flowers like peonies (bashfulness) and tulips (passion).Coupled with stunning full-color illustrations, this beautiful reference is a must-have for gardeners, florists, and flower enthusiasts. Whether you're looking to arrange the perfectly bespoken wedding bouquet or to understand what the yellow rose you just received from an admirer means (friendship), this updated floriography is a visual delight.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
261 people are currently reading
5393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
March 12, 2022
The Complete Language of flowers is a “pocket” size book that has shows an illustrated history of the flowers.
To be clear it’s numbered by the original name, which I certainly don’t know and under that it has “other names of the flower”. Which are sometimes many.
Then the symbolic meaning, followed by the folklore and facts. And of course a beautiful illustration of the actual flowers.
Having said all that I find that this would be a great gift to a friend who already knows all about flowers. It would be lost and maybe unappreciated to anyone else.
It’s a beautiful book and I would only recommend it to the backyard botanist.
Thanks Quarto Publishing group and Wellfleet Press via NetGalley.
To be clear it’s numbered by the original name, which I certainly don’t know and under that it has “other names of the flower”. Which are sometimes many.
Then the symbolic meaning, followed by the folklore and facts. And of course a beautiful illustration of the actual flowers.
Having said all that I find that this would be a great gift to a friend who already knows all about flowers. It would be lost and maybe unappreciated to anyone else.
It’s a beautiful book and I would only recommend it to the backyard botanist.
Thanks Quarto Publishing group and Wellfleet Press via NetGalley.
April 10, 2022
Note: The pocket version of this book and the original are shelved as the same book. Obviously, the pocket version is much smaller with tiny photos. My review below is of the original that was released in 2020 (I've read both) but they are inherently the same other than size.
This is a beautifully illustrated book that's a joy to flip through. The whimsical art is the star here, though there are other lovely elements.
What this book is: An alphabetical listing (by latin name) of over a thousand flower species, with small color illustrations of each one and information such as whether it's poisonous (simply shown by a skull and crossbones by the name), other names it's known by, symbolic meanings throughout history, brief folklore and facts, and "possible powers" (such as death, healing, magic, sending away thieves, killing serpents, protection against witches and more for black elderberries).
What this book is not: This is not a gardening book (no growing zones, information about annual or perennial, size, etc. is given) or an herbal book (no information on how to use elder or echinacea, for instance). It also doesn't give uses for flowers in terms of edibility, teas, etc.
I found the illustrations delightful and really enjoyed looking through it. I appreciated that it's arranged by Latin name, since names for flowers vary so greatly by region and it's good for gardeners, herbalists and foragers to know plants by their Latin names. The facts and folklore were fun, but not in depth. I would have loved simple information like an icon showing garden suitability, size of plant, season of bloom, etc. but this is not that type of book. Still, it's a lovely one.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
This is a beautifully illustrated book that's a joy to flip through. The whimsical art is the star here, though there are other lovely elements.
What this book is: An alphabetical listing (by latin name) of over a thousand flower species, with small color illustrations of each one and information such as whether it's poisonous (simply shown by a skull and crossbones by the name), other names it's known by, symbolic meanings throughout history, brief folklore and facts, and "possible powers" (such as death, healing, magic, sending away thieves, killing serpents, protection against witches and more for black elderberries).
What this book is not: This is not a gardening book (no growing zones, information about annual or perennial, size, etc. is given) or an herbal book (no information on how to use elder or echinacea, for instance). It also doesn't give uses for flowers in terms of edibility, teas, etc.
I found the illustrations delightful and really enjoyed looking through it. I appreciated that it's arranged by Latin name, since names for flowers vary so greatly by region and it's good for gardeners, herbalists and foragers to know plants by their Latin names. The facts and folklore were fun, but not in depth. I would have loved simple information like an icon showing garden suitability, size of plant, season of bloom, etc. but this is not that type of book. Still, it's a lovely one.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
January 16, 2021
A beautiful and fascinating book! S. Theresa Dietz’s The Complete Language of Flowers, A Definitive and Illustrated History, is an “attractive and informational reference book” that provides “diverse” and “contrary data” collected over two decades on this appealing topic. Included in this book are meanings or messages of certain flowers, plants, and trees. Victorians were partial to sending floral messages, but way before the Victorians, all world religions had a sacred plant. For example, Buddha would be enlightened “while meditating under a particular Ficus religiosa (Bodhi
tree). Gardens and floral arrangements may have specially selected flowers to covey meaning such as the use of pink roses may symbolize happiness, joy, and/orlove. This book also discusses folk magic, folklore, additional facts, and toxicity of various flowers and plants. 5 stars.
tree). Gardens and floral arrangements may have specially selected flowers to covey meaning such as the use of pink roses may symbolize happiness, joy, and/orlove. This book also discusses folk magic, folklore, additional facts, and toxicity of various flowers and plants. 5 stars.
March 18, 2020
S. Theresa Dietz’s The Complete Language of Flowers is an informative and well-designed dictionary of flower species. I love flowers but I never knew there were so many interesting and unusual species out there. I learned so much! I love the beautiful full-colour artistic renderings of the flowers. But, I wish every entry had a picture attached. Moreover, while I appreciate the briefness of the entries, they could have been better written because the writing sometimes lacks clarity. Moreover, this book is more of an introduction to flowers instead of a comprehensive guide.
This reference book is organized alphabetically. Each entry includes the flower’s scientific name as well as other common names, symbolic meanings, possible powers, and some folklore and facts. Dangerous plants are also highlighted. The entries are brief and simply written. But, while I understand and appreciate the need for brevity, the entries sometimes lack clarity especially with regards to the meanings and folklore and facts about the plants. Moreover, I am confused about the labelling of some of these ‘dangerous’ plants because many are popularly used as medicines and food.
The book features well-known plants like Aloe vera (which has a super long list of names, including Crocodile’s Tail and Crocodile’s Tongue!), Gardenia (whose symbolic meanings include healing and I love you in secret), and Chrysanthemum (which has possible powers of protection). There is also a host of other fascinating and beautiful lesser-known plants like Candleberry (ancient Hawaiians used the nutmeats like candles), and the interesting looking fumewort (which has possible powers of exorcism and money).
This book’s design is lovely and vintage. It will be absolutely stunning in print! I love the beautiful artistic depictions of the flowers. I especially love the stunning full-colour depictions on the division pages. However, I wish all the entries were accompanied by pictures and that they were all in full-colour because a few of the flowers are featured in black-and-white.
The Complete Language of Flowers is a well-designed and fascinating book. It’s a good introduction to the world of flowers but I wish it was more thorough and the writing was much clearer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.
🌸 🌸 🌸 ½ flowers out of 5!
This reference book is organized alphabetically. Each entry includes the flower’s scientific name as well as other common names, symbolic meanings, possible powers, and some folklore and facts. Dangerous plants are also highlighted. The entries are brief and simply written. But, while I understand and appreciate the need for brevity, the entries sometimes lack clarity especially with regards to the meanings and folklore and facts about the plants. Moreover, I am confused about the labelling of some of these ‘dangerous’ plants because many are popularly used as medicines and food.
The book features well-known plants like Aloe vera (which has a super long list of names, including Crocodile’s Tail and Crocodile’s Tongue!), Gardenia (whose symbolic meanings include healing and I love you in secret), and Chrysanthemum (which has possible powers of protection). There is also a host of other fascinating and beautiful lesser-known plants like Candleberry (ancient Hawaiians used the nutmeats like candles), and the interesting looking fumewort (which has possible powers of exorcism and money).
This book’s design is lovely and vintage. It will be absolutely stunning in print! I love the beautiful artistic depictions of the flowers. I especially love the stunning full-colour depictions on the division pages. However, I wish all the entries were accompanied by pictures and that they were all in full-colour because a few of the flowers are featured in black-and-white.
The Complete Language of Flowers is a well-designed and fascinating book. It’s a good introduction to the world of flowers but I wish it was more thorough and the writing was much clearer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.
🌸 🌸 🌸 ½ flowers out of 5!
January 29, 2020
The Complete Language of Flowers is a reference book that provides insight into the symbolism and folklore of certain trees, plants, and flowers. The plants are listed alphabetically by their scientific names, however, if you don’t know the scientific name of the plant, then you can look up its common name in the index at the end of the book. Each page has 4-5 flowers that are illustrated beautifully which makes it a joy to look through the book. I will be purchasing this for myself and I highly recommend it to all the flower lovers.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
January 31, 2021
Cuốn này là bách khoa về ngôn ngữ loài hoa hoàn chỉnh và đầy đủ nhất mà mình tìm được. Hình minh họa cực xinh xẻo và những cái folklore thú vị về một số loài hoa. Nhưng mình ước thay vì phân loại theo bảng chữ cái, tác giả phân loại theo từng danh mục cảm xúc và ý nghĩa.
May 14, 2022
finally a flower book I loved
December 9, 2022
First of all, thank you Quarto Publishing Group-Wellfleet Press for giving me the opportunity to read this review copy. This is a very beautifully illustrated book. Even the book's cover is gorgeous. I admit that i was enticed by the cover and of course by the interesting details and descriptions of the book.
However,there are a few parts of this book that is not to my liking. But first i will list a few points that i like about this book. I find some of the facts and info stated in the folklores and facts section to be quite interesting like for example how the Hibiscus called the Shoe Flower is named so as the petals can be used to shine shoes and in the Pacific Islands, a red Hibiscus flower is worn by women as a sign of their interests, if worn behind the left ear means she desires a lover, if worn behind the right ear, means she already has a lover, and if worn behind both ears means she wants another one!. Or the story about wild barley,how in the medieval times, a type of divination using cakes made of wild barley was used to determine guilt or innocence known as alphitomancy, if there was a group of suspected criminals, all of them were fed with the cakes or bread and supposedly the person who got indigestion was the guilty party!.
I also find the facts about some of these plants have become endangered and threatened to be just as interesting as well as crucial to know. Or how some the flowers like a few species of Orchids and plants are using some kind of unique mimicry camouflage or luring techniques into luring and tricking the pollinators insects to do cross pollinations for them.
Ok, those are among points that i liked about this book. Unfortunately, there are a few parts that i find lacking and a little disappointing. For one thing, is the way the author organizes the flowers and plants according to Latin Names instead of the Commonly used,well-known or popular names. I find this part to be troubling and a bothersome especially to someone who is unfamiliar and is not an expert in plants and flowers but is interested to learn about them like me. Isn't a reference guide supposed to be informative as well as easy to follow?. Listing the plants according to their unfamiliar Latin Names isn't easy to follow as we need to look out at the index sections for those names. Isn't it better, if listing the plants according to their popular or commonly known names first, then followed by their Latin/scientific names?.
Secondly which is also the most important part that is the poisonous and toxicity symbols and descriptions of those plants. Why is it that i find that only a few of those poisonous plants came with the descriptions of the level of harmfulness and the side effects of those poison towards humans and animals and which parts are harmful while many others did not have any descriptions or information at all about all of these things?. Yet the most shocking thing is that some of the supposed to be poisonous or toxic plants are from among the plants that we usually used for cooking and the plants that we usually planted in our gardens. Now, that's the part that confuses me i mean if some parts of the plants are really harmful and toxic, shouldn't it come also with an information and some descriptions so that we are aware of it and can take safety precautions?. Not only that, there isn't even an illustration of some of these supposed to be harmful plants for our reference and guidelines. How are we supposed to take some safety and precautionary measures of these plants if we do not even know how it looks like or what kind of harm it can cause to us?.
Thirdly, i am confused with the purpose or objective of this book. As a supposed to be a reference guide, i find this part to be a little confusing as i find this book focuses more on the superstitious mumbo jumbo,myths and legends which is a bothersome to me as for one thing, that isn't the only kind of information that i was looking for from this book and i am not a superstitious person. It is okay to include some superstitious beliefs and local folklores about those plants coz i am sure many people are interested to know about them (so do i) but they are just way too much info and focus on all of that until i begin to think that this book is actually a reference guide for magic spells and witch crafts!. I wish you could also add some beneficial info about those plants like how they are used in other culture as in cooking, as medicine or for other purposes you know more of that cultural and historical aspects to make it more interesting and something useful we could use or apply like for treatment or the medicinal aspect,for everyday purposes like to clean or remove something,etc. I seriously think this book could use a little more extensive and careful research and more editing as i find some facts of the plants to be misleading and confusing.
In conclusion, this book could be a much better and more interesting book but needs some polishing and editing in certain areas. As for now, i could only give this book a rating of 2.5🌟 rounded up to 3🌟. Still, this is a pretty good and interesting book,which i enjoyed reading certain aspects of it but it just isn't what i am looking for or expecting of. But i am sure other readers might enjoy this book more than me.
However,there are a few parts of this book that is not to my liking. But first i will list a few points that i like about this book. I find some of the facts and info stated in the folklores and facts section to be quite interesting like for example how the Hibiscus called the Shoe Flower is named so as the petals can be used to shine shoes and in the Pacific Islands, a red Hibiscus flower is worn by women as a sign of their interests, if worn behind the left ear means she desires a lover, if worn behind the right ear, means she already has a lover, and if worn behind both ears means she wants another one!. Or the story about wild barley,how in the medieval times, a type of divination using cakes made of wild barley was used to determine guilt or innocence known as alphitomancy, if there was a group of suspected criminals, all of them were fed with the cakes or bread and supposedly the person who got indigestion was the guilty party!.
I also find the facts about some of these plants have become endangered and threatened to be just as interesting as well as crucial to know. Or how some the flowers like a few species of Orchids and plants are using some kind of unique mimicry camouflage or luring techniques into luring and tricking the pollinators insects to do cross pollinations for them.
Ok, those are among points that i liked about this book. Unfortunately, there are a few parts that i find lacking and a little disappointing. For one thing, is the way the author organizes the flowers and plants according to Latin Names instead of the Commonly used,well-known or popular names. I find this part to be troubling and a bothersome especially to someone who is unfamiliar and is not an expert in plants and flowers but is interested to learn about them like me. Isn't a reference guide supposed to be informative as well as easy to follow?. Listing the plants according to their unfamiliar Latin Names isn't easy to follow as we need to look out at the index sections for those names. Isn't it better, if listing the plants according to their popular or commonly known names first, then followed by their Latin/scientific names?.
Secondly which is also the most important part that is the poisonous and toxicity symbols and descriptions of those plants. Why is it that i find that only a few of those poisonous plants came with the descriptions of the level of harmfulness and the side effects of those poison towards humans and animals and which parts are harmful while many others did not have any descriptions or information at all about all of these things?. Yet the most shocking thing is that some of the supposed to be poisonous or toxic plants are from among the plants that we usually used for cooking and the plants that we usually planted in our gardens. Now, that's the part that confuses me i mean if some parts of the plants are really harmful and toxic, shouldn't it come also with an information and some descriptions so that we are aware of it and can take safety precautions?. Not only that, there isn't even an illustration of some of these supposed to be harmful plants for our reference and guidelines. How are we supposed to take some safety and precautionary measures of these plants if we do not even know how it looks like or what kind of harm it can cause to us?.
Thirdly, i am confused with the purpose or objective of this book. As a supposed to be a reference guide, i find this part to be a little confusing as i find this book focuses more on the superstitious mumbo jumbo,myths and legends which is a bothersome to me as for one thing, that isn't the only kind of information that i was looking for from this book and i am not a superstitious person. It is okay to include some superstitious beliefs and local folklores about those plants coz i am sure many people are interested to know about them (so do i) but they are just way too much info and focus on all of that until i begin to think that this book is actually a reference guide for magic spells and witch crafts!. I wish you could also add some beneficial info about those plants like how they are used in other culture as in cooking, as medicine or for other purposes you know more of that cultural and historical aspects to make it more interesting and something useful we could use or apply like for treatment or the medicinal aspect,for everyday purposes like to clean or remove something,etc. I seriously think this book could use a little more extensive and careful research and more editing as i find some facts of the plants to be misleading and confusing.
In conclusion, this book could be a much better and more interesting book but needs some polishing and editing in certain areas. As for now, i could only give this book a rating of 2.5🌟 rounded up to 3🌟. Still, this is a pretty good and interesting book,which i enjoyed reading certain aspects of it but it just isn't what i am looking for or expecting of. But i am sure other readers might enjoy this book more than me.
November 10, 2023
How to insult someone in flower (cause that’s a very useful tidbit of knowledge to have):
Yellow carnations - you have disappointed me
Tansy - hostility
Orange lilies - hatred
Snake charmer’s root - agitation
Frog orchid - disgust
Fly orchid - mistake
Foxglove - insincerity
Geraniums - stupidity
Meadowsweet - uselessness
Asphodel - my regrets will follow you to the grave
Birdsfoot trefoil - revenge
Bittercress - paternal error
Put it all together in a bouquet and there you have it! If you let the flowers dry out it also means rejected love. Bonus points if you weave poison ivy into the flower stems. 😁😘
Yellow carnations - you have disappointed me
Tansy - hostility
Orange lilies - hatred
Snake charmer’s root - agitation
Frog orchid - disgust
Fly orchid - mistake
Foxglove - insincerity
Geraniums - stupidity
Meadowsweet - uselessness
Asphodel - my regrets will follow you to the grave
Birdsfoot trefoil - revenge
Bittercress - paternal error
Put it all together in a bouquet and there you have it! If you let the flowers dry out it also means rejected love. Bonus points if you weave poison ivy into the flower stems. 😁😘
April 14, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw this book listed on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it. I absolutely love the flower language and the symbolism of plants in general - so this seemed perfect. I am happy to say that this book was just what I had in mind.
This book features a brief guide for how to use it at the very beginning, which I thought was a nice touch, as it shows what exact information can be found about plants. The flowers are organised in alphabetic order, by their scientific (latin) name. When applicable, there is also a toxicity
symbol - indicating a toxic plant of course. Under that, are listed other scientific names and a plethora of common names. There are also symbolic meanings, color meanings (if there are any), possible powers and folklore and facts. There are also featured lovely, colorful, illustrations for every flower.
I enjoyed this type of classification - especially as I wasn't looking for specific plants, but rather general symbolism of all plants available. If you are looking for specific plants it would still be easy to navigate, scientific names can be found through a simple google search, or you could use the common names index at the end of the book. I especially enjoyed the folklore section, and the index of common flower meanings (also at the end).
This is a pocket edition of a previously published full-sized book, and from what I understand based on other reviews, there are no differences between the books besides the size. The only thing I will mention, not really as a negative, but perhaps to consider - this book features a large number of flowers, so there's only so much information about each one. I think this is a lovely beginners' guide for someone who doesn't know a lot about the topic but wants a good starting point. It's maybe not as suitable for someone who already knows a great deal on the topic.
Overall, this is an amazingly done guide with plenty of flowers, and well-sorted, easily accessible information. I would recommend it if you are interested in the topic and are looking for a place to start with the language of flowers.
When I saw this book listed on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it. I absolutely love the flower language and the symbolism of plants in general - so this seemed perfect. I am happy to say that this book was just what I had in mind.
This book features a brief guide for how to use it at the very beginning, which I thought was a nice touch, as it shows what exact information can be found about plants. The flowers are organised in alphabetic order, by their scientific (latin) name. When applicable, there is also a toxicity
symbol - indicating a toxic plant of course. Under that, are listed other scientific names and a plethora of common names. There are also symbolic meanings, color meanings (if there are any), possible powers and folklore and facts. There are also featured lovely, colorful, illustrations for every flower.
I enjoyed this type of classification - especially as I wasn't looking for specific plants, but rather general symbolism of all plants available. If you are looking for specific plants it would still be easy to navigate, scientific names can be found through a simple google search, or you could use the common names index at the end of the book. I especially enjoyed the folklore section, and the index of common flower meanings (also at the end).
This is a pocket edition of a previously published full-sized book, and from what I understand based on other reviews, there are no differences between the books besides the size. The only thing I will mention, not really as a negative, but perhaps to consider - this book features a large number of flowers, so there's only so much information about each one. I think this is a lovely beginners' guide for someone who doesn't know a lot about the topic but wants a good starting point. It's maybe not as suitable for someone who already knows a great deal on the topic.
Overall, this is an amazingly done guide with plenty of flowers, and well-sorted, easily accessible information. I would recommend it if you are interested in the topic and are looking for a place to start with the language of flowers.
May 6, 2022
Edit: I have just had the opportunity to view the 2022 pocket edition of this book. It remains an excellent guide and the smaller edition is more portable allowing it to be taken on field trips. So beautiful. On a second reading I have amended my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Pressfor a temporary digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History” by by S. Theresa Dietz in exchange for an honest review.
“The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive dictionary for over 1,001 flower species. Along with a visual depiction, each entry provides the flower's name, characteristics, and historic meanings from mythology, medieval legends, folklore, and flower poetry.”
I have been quite fascinated by the secret language of flowers since I first encountered it in historical romances. In a society so defined by its rules of etiquette, the idea of fragrant nosegays created to deliver a private message was intriguing. I have also had a long standing interest in the folklore associated with plants and flowers.
This lavish and beautifully illustrated reference book contains both aspects as each entry contains information on symbolism, folklore and facts. The entries are organised alphabetically by the scientific names of each flower. At the conclusion are indexes of both common flower names and common flower meanings.
An attractive book that I expect will be of interest to aspiring and experienced botanists as a reference work. It would also make an excellent gift for same.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Pressfor a temporary digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History” by by S. Theresa Dietz in exchange for an honest review.
“The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive dictionary for over 1,001 flower species. Along with a visual depiction, each entry provides the flower's name, characteristics, and historic meanings from mythology, medieval legends, folklore, and flower poetry.”
I have been quite fascinated by the secret language of flowers since I first encountered it in historical romances. In a society so defined by its rules of etiquette, the idea of fragrant nosegays created to deliver a private message was intriguing. I have also had a long standing interest in the folklore associated with plants and flowers.
This lavish and beautifully illustrated reference book contains both aspects as each entry contains information on symbolism, folklore and facts. The entries are organised alphabetically by the scientific names of each flower. At the conclusion are indexes of both common flower names and common flower meanings.
An attractive book that I expect will be of interest to aspiring and experienced botanists as a reference work. It would also make an excellent gift for same.
August 11, 2020
The Language of Flowers is one of my favorite books and ever since reading it I've wanted to learn more about the historical symbolic meaning of flowers. Dietz spent twenty years compiling the data for this book! I admire her dedication to creating such a comprehensive resource. Additionally, it is a remarkably beautiful book; almost each entry has an accompanying illustration and the layout design is perfection.
My only frustration with the book is that the entries are organized alphabetically by their scientific latin names, so if you know the common name you have to look it up in the index in order to find its number (not the page number, the item number). I completely understand the reasoning for organizing it that way, especially since most entries have several "common names," but I wanted to be able to flip to an entry without looking it up first.
Side note: I was so impressed with what appeared to be hand-drawn colored pencil illustrations that I went looking for information about the illustrator. Disappointingly, the photo credits page states that all images are from Shutterstock, unless otherwise noted, and all those noted were from another digital image source. The author credits the publisher's team with finding images for the hundreds of entries, some of which do look like photographs, but most of which look like hand-drawn illustrations. It's still impressive, but I was disappointed to learn that a skilled illustrator hadn't singlehandedly drawn all of those gorgeous pictures.
My only frustration with the book is that the entries are organized alphabetically by their scientific latin names, so if you know the common name you have to look it up in the index in order to find its number (not the page number, the item number). I completely understand the reasoning for organizing it that way, especially since most entries have several "common names," but I wanted to be able to flip to an entry without looking it up first.
Side note: I was so impressed with what appeared to be hand-drawn colored pencil illustrations that I went looking for information about the illustrator. Disappointingly, the photo credits page states that all images are from Shutterstock, unless otherwise noted, and all those noted were from another digital image source. The author credits the publisher's team with finding images for the hundreds of entries, some of which do look like photographs, but most of which look like hand-drawn illustrations. It's still impressive, but I was disappointed to learn that a skilled illustrator hadn't singlehandedly drawn all of those gorgeous pictures.
March 8, 2024
Honestly obsessed with this book? It had great indices for meanings and common flower names. It is organized by scientific names so many flowers are grouped together in a satisfying way. I loved how it included other names that flowers go by because this can cause so much confusion. I thought the "possible powers" section on each plant was interesting even though I have not been witchy since I was 9.
Every flower/plant has a picture next to it, and while the illustrations were beautiful, I found it odd that the style was not consistent through the whole book. I also wished there might have been illustrations and real photographs of each of the flowers. That's my only complaint though!
Every flower/plant has a picture next to it, and while the illustrations were beautiful, I found it odd that the style was not consistent through the whole book. I also wished there might have been illustrations and real photographs of each of the flowers. That's my only complaint though!
March 6, 2020
An absolutely stunning book with beautiful drawings of over 1000 flowers with information on their official name, where they appear in folklore, what they are meant to mean in terms of the language of flowers, where they can be used in healing. Definitely a great gift for the botanist of any level in your life.
June 20, 2024
Having worked in a floral shop, it's fun to be able to cross-reference what I'd see every day and what they've meant throughout the years. Some of the history is a bit of a stretch (e.g. a flower that kiiiiind of looks like this might have potentially been on particular coinage), but still interesting nonetheless.
June 28, 2024
This is great for all sorts of creatives because it has detailed history of certain flowers as well as illustrations. I really enjoyed reading this. It doesn’t read as a textbook which I really enjoyed.
February 5, 2025
This book is beautifully illustrated, offering a delightful blend of botany and folklore. While I enjoyed the visual appeal and the thematic combination, I had hoped for more in-depth botanical insights.
September 22, 2021
Would like to purchase for at-home reference for future projects.
August 26, 2025
The meaning of Different kinds of flowers and the folklore was fun to read about. The illustrations were stunning.
December 8, 2021
Not a book to read all the way through, but that didn't stop me. I will definitely reference back to this for writing!
August 1, 2020
Illustrations are so beautiful -- basic information about the flower is given -- great for someone who is just curious about flowers and their meanings without all the other stuff.
July 4, 2022
Amazing reference book
January 25, 2020
Thank you to Wellfleet Press for the ARC!
The Complete Language of Flowers is a surprisingly colorful and fun to page through guide to 1,001 types of flowers. Each is alphabetized by its Latin name, followed by a symbolic meaning, supposed powers, color-specific attributes and any folklore/facts associated with it. From the parthenocissus quinquefolia and lysimachia nummalaria to your backyard planter geranium and tulip, this book has it all.
My favorite part about paging through was perhaps a bit shallow, but feasting my eyes on the artwork. I may or may not have doodled a few of my favorites! The illustrations are vibrant and charming, which perfectly matches the whimsical vibe. It feels like a book you would find in a sunlit, fairy tale cottage.
This guide focuses on the fantastical elements of flowers. Taking into account the sheer number of plants included, I can see why the information was limited to just that. As a biology student, I would have loved to see some more scientific information, perhaps about each flower's growing process/location, scent, if it can be brewed into a nice tea, stuff like that. Maybe not for every species, because again with over one thousand flowers that would be a decade long and A+ nightmare. But for some of the more common or interesting breeds it would’ve been cool to read! I'm a Ravenclaw, I like lots of detail :>
All in all, this is a wonderful coffee table book, perfect for family/friends who are anywhere on the spectrum from hardcore gardener to simply appreciative of the artistry of flowers. If I were to see this in stores I would definitely gift it to both myself and others!
The Complete Language of Flowers is a surprisingly colorful and fun to page through guide to 1,001 types of flowers. Each is alphabetized by its Latin name, followed by a symbolic meaning, supposed powers, color-specific attributes and any folklore/facts associated with it. From the parthenocissus quinquefolia and lysimachia nummalaria to your backyard planter geranium and tulip, this book has it all.
My favorite part about paging through was perhaps a bit shallow, but feasting my eyes on the artwork. I may or may not have doodled a few of my favorites! The illustrations are vibrant and charming, which perfectly matches the whimsical vibe. It feels like a book you would find in a sunlit, fairy tale cottage.
This guide focuses on the fantastical elements of flowers. Taking into account the sheer number of plants included, I can see why the information was limited to just that. As a biology student, I would have loved to see some more scientific information, perhaps about each flower's growing process/location, scent, if it can be brewed into a nice tea, stuff like that. Maybe not for every species, because again with over one thousand flowers that would be a decade long and A+ nightmare. But for some of the more common or interesting breeds it would’ve been cool to read! I'm a Ravenclaw, I like lots of detail :>
All in all, this is a wonderful coffee table book, perfect for family/friends who are anywhere on the spectrum from hardcore gardener to simply appreciative of the artistry of flowers. If I were to see this in stores I would definitely gift it to both myself and others!
March 30, 2022
First of all, thank you Quarto Publishing Group-Wellfleet Press for giving me the opportunity to read this review copy. This is a very beautifully illustrated book. Even the book's cover is gorgeous. I admit that i was enticed by the cover and of course by the interesting details and descriptions of the book.
However,there are a few parts of this book that is not to my liking. But first i will list a few points that i like about this book. I find some of the facts and info stated in the folklores and facts section to be quite interesting like for example how the Hibiscus called the Shoe Flower is named so as the petals can be used to shine shoes and in the Pacific Islands, a red Hibiscus flower is worn by women as a sign of their interests, if worn behind the left ear means she desires a lover, if worn behind the right ear, means she already has a lover, and if worn behind both ears means she wants another one!. Or the story about wild barley,how in the medieval times, a type of divination using cakes made of wild barley was used to determine guilt or innocence known as alphitomancy, if there was a group of suspected criminals, all of them were fed with the cakes or bread and supposedly the person who got indigestion was the guilty party!.
I also find the facts about some of these plants have become endangered and threatened to be just as interesting as well as crucial to know. Or how some the flowers like a few species of Orchids and plants are using some kind of unique mimicry camouflage or luring techniques into luring and tricking the pollinators insects to do cross pollinations for them.
Ok, those are among points that i liked about this book. Unfortunately, there are a few parts that i find lacking and a little disappointing. For one thing, is the way the author organizes the flowers and plants according to Latin Names instead of the Commonly used,well-known or popular names. I find this part to be troubling and a bothersome especially to someone who is unfamiliar and is not an expert in plants and flowers but is interested to learn about them like me. Isn't a reference guide supposed to be informative as well as easy to follow?. Listing the plants according to their unfamiliar Latin Names isn't easy to follow as we need to look out at the index sections for those names. Isn't it better, if listing the plants according to their popular or commonly known names first, then followed by their Latin/scientific names?.
Secondly which is also the most important part that is the poisonous and toxicity symbols and descriptions of those plants. Why is it that i find that only a few of those poisonous plants came with the descriptions of the level of harmfulness and the side effects of those poison towards humans and animals and which parts are harmful while many others did not have any descriptions or information at all about all of these things?. Yet the most shocking thing is that some of the supposed to be poisonous or toxic plants are from among the plants that we usually used for cooking and the plants that we usually planted in our gardens. Now, that's the part that confuses me i mean if some parts of the plants are really harmful and toxic, shouldn't it come also with an information and some descriptions so that we are aware of it and can take safety precautions?. Not only that, there isn't even an illustration of some of these supposed to be harmful plants for our reference and guidelines. How are we supposed to take some safety and precautionary measures of these plants if we do not even know how it looks like or what kind of harm it can cause to us?.
Thirdly, i am confused with the purpose or objective of this book. As a supposed to be a reference guide, i find this part to be a little confusing as i find this book focuses more on the superstitious mumbo jumbo,myths and legends which is a bothersome to me as for one thing, that isn't the only kind of information that i was looking for from this book and i am not a superstitious person. It is okay to include some superstitious beliefs and local folklores about those plants coz i am sure many people are interested to know about them (so do i) but they are just way too much info and focus on all of that until i begin to think that this book is actually a reference guide for magic spells and witch crafts!. I wish you could also add some beneficial info about those plants like how they are used in other culture as in cooking, as medicine or for other purposes you know more of that cultural and historical aspects to make it more interesting and something useful we could use or apply like for treatment or the medicinal aspect,for everyday purposes like to clean or remove something,etc. I seriously think this book could use a little more extensive and careful research and more editing as i find some facts of the plants to be misleading and confusing.
In conclusion, this book could be a much better and more interesting book but needs some polishing and editing in certain areas. As for now, i could only give this book a rating of 2.5🌟 rounded up to 3🌟. Still, this is a pretty good and interesting book,which i enjoyed reading certain aspects of it but it just isn't what i am looking for or expecting of. But i am sure other readers might enjoy this book more than me.
However,there are a few parts of this book that is not to my liking. But first i will list a few points that i like about this book. I find some of the facts and info stated in the folklores and facts section to be quite interesting like for example how the Hibiscus called the Shoe Flower is named so as the petals can be used to shine shoes and in the Pacific Islands, a red Hibiscus flower is worn by women as a sign of their interests, if worn behind the left ear means she desires a lover, if worn behind the right ear, means she already has a lover, and if worn behind both ears means she wants another one!. Or the story about wild barley,how in the medieval times, a type of divination using cakes made of wild barley was used to determine guilt or innocence known as alphitomancy, if there was a group of suspected criminals, all of them were fed with the cakes or bread and supposedly the person who got indigestion was the guilty party!.
I also find the facts about some of these plants have become endangered and threatened to be just as interesting as well as crucial to know. Or how some the flowers like a few species of Orchids and plants are using some kind of unique mimicry camouflage or luring techniques into luring and tricking the pollinators insects to do cross pollinations for them.
Ok, those are among points that i liked about this book. Unfortunately, there are a few parts that i find lacking and a little disappointing. For one thing, is the way the author organizes the flowers and plants according to Latin Names instead of the Commonly used,well-known or popular names. I find this part to be troubling and a bothersome especially to someone who is unfamiliar and is not an expert in plants and flowers but is interested to learn about them like me. Isn't a reference guide supposed to be informative as well as easy to follow?. Listing the plants according to their unfamiliar Latin Names isn't easy to follow as we need to look out at the index sections for those names. Isn't it better, if listing the plants according to their popular or commonly known names first, then followed by their Latin/scientific names?.
Secondly which is also the most important part that is the poisonous and toxicity symbols and descriptions of those plants. Why is it that i find that only a few of those poisonous plants came with the descriptions of the level of harmfulness and the side effects of those poison towards humans and animals and which parts are harmful while many others did not have any descriptions or information at all about all of these things?. Yet the most shocking thing is that some of the supposed to be poisonous or toxic plants are from among the plants that we usually used for cooking and the plants that we usually planted in our gardens. Now, that's the part that confuses me i mean if some parts of the plants are really harmful and toxic, shouldn't it come also with an information and some descriptions so that we are aware of it and can take safety precautions?. Not only that, there isn't even an illustration of some of these supposed to be harmful plants for our reference and guidelines. How are we supposed to take some safety and precautionary measures of these plants if we do not even know how it looks like or what kind of harm it can cause to us?.
Thirdly, i am confused with the purpose or objective of this book. As a supposed to be a reference guide, i find this part to be a little confusing as i find this book focuses more on the superstitious mumbo jumbo,myths and legends which is a bothersome to me as for one thing, that isn't the only kind of information that i was looking for from this book and i am not a superstitious person. It is okay to include some superstitious beliefs and local folklores about those plants coz i am sure many people are interested to know about them (so do i) but they are just way too much info and focus on all of that until i begin to think that this book is actually a reference guide for magic spells and witch crafts!. I wish you could also add some beneficial info about those plants like how they are used in other culture as in cooking, as medicine or for other purposes you know more of that cultural and historical aspects to make it more interesting and something useful we could use or apply like for treatment or the medicinal aspect,for everyday purposes like to clean or remove something,etc. I seriously think this book could use a little more extensive and careful research and more editing as i find some facts of the plants to be misleading and confusing.
In conclusion, this book could be a much better and more interesting book but needs some polishing and editing in certain areas. As for now, i could only give this book a rating of 2.5🌟 rounded up to 3🌟. Still, this is a pretty good and interesting book,which i enjoyed reading certain aspects of it but it just isn't what i am looking for or expecting of. But i am sure other readers might enjoy this book more than me.
September 4, 2025
I used this book to create a spring display for work regarding flower meanings. It was fun and easy to use.
Update: I did an entire presentation on the language of flowers, and this book proved immensely helpful. I highly recommend.
Update: I did an entire presentation on the language of flowers, and this book proved immensely helpful. I highly recommend.
February 16, 2025
One can find fond feelings for literature for many reasons. This book, for example, I find to be light and delightful. I've always loved flowers, namely for the symbolism associated with them. Finally, I was able to find (this year) a book which I believe actually gave me practical application. The tidbits of folklore associated with the plants I found to be particularly interesting, and I've included some here:
The acacia is said to be what Moses encountered with the burning bush in Exodus 2:3.
I will say, I would've liked to have seen it included where the plants are most native, and perhaps their commonality. Furthermore, while I most sought out the symbolism behind each flower, it would be nice also to see practical uses included as well, as in: ways in which certain flowers may be used to create certain foods or products.
This book gave me, aside from the obvious information I wished to incur, two things: Help in arranging a meaningful bouquet for a certain someone, and for deciding which flowers I might want to plant for myself, to adorn my domicile with symbolisms that none but myself will be privy to...
It's not amazing, and certainly I wouldn't recommend this to someone with intentions of studying flowers in a scientific sense, as it definitely focuses just on the symbols and folklore around the flowers, especially considering that there are entries that aren't even actual plants, such as a withered bouquet. The reason these things are included is again, not because this book is interested in the science, but more so the "human" side of flowers.
There are times where the tidbits and facts are very dull or obvious, or essentially just restatements of things listed in symbols. For example, the "fact" for thorns says to proceed with caution when in close proximity to a thorn. Well, duh. So there are definitely pieces of filler, and pieces of fluff or just uninsightful blurbs.
That being said, it's still a decent book when keeping in mind its intention as a compendium/reference book for what I earlier called the "human" side of flowers. I wouldn't read through it cover to cover again, but it would make for a decent reference book. B- Tier.
The acacia is said to be what Moses encountered with the burning bush in Exodus 2:3.
I will say, I would've liked to have seen it included where the plants are most native, and perhaps their commonality. Furthermore, while I most sought out the symbolism behind each flower, it would be nice also to see practical uses included as well, as in: ways in which certain flowers may be used to create certain foods or products.
This book gave me, aside from the obvious information I wished to incur, two things: Help in arranging a meaningful bouquet for a certain someone, and for deciding which flowers I might want to plant for myself, to adorn my domicile with symbolisms that none but myself will be privy to...
It's not amazing, and certainly I wouldn't recommend this to someone with intentions of studying flowers in a scientific sense, as it definitely focuses just on the symbols and folklore around the flowers, especially considering that there are entries that aren't even actual plants, such as a withered bouquet. The reason these things are included is again, not because this book is interested in the science, but more so the "human" side of flowers.
There are times where the tidbits and facts are very dull or obvious, or essentially just restatements of things listed in symbols. For example, the "fact" for thorns says to proceed with caution when in close proximity to a thorn. Well, duh. So there are definitely pieces of filler, and pieces of fluff or just uninsightful blurbs.
That being said, it's still a decent book when keeping in mind its intention as a compendium/reference book for what I earlier called the "human" side of flowers. I wouldn't read through it cover to cover again, but it would make for a decent reference book. B- Tier.
July 17, 2025
There was a time when secret messages, sent by way of a particular choice in flowers, were considered in vogue. The Victorians were quite caught up in it. A method that was blissfully romantic, as long as the same secret floral language book was used for selecting and decoding any messages.
However, the secretive messages were scrambled, heartbroken with melodramatic detours heading to sad consequences of misinterpretations due to the opposing meanings of a particular flower in a small nosegay. Eventually, messaging via cryptic nosegay notes fell out of favor.
We know to being gifted a rose or any such species is associated with love, fondness, having a tender heart toward thee; yet, very different and deliberately delivering dead flowers to anyone conveys the opposite message, producing the opposite emotional response. In either case, the unspoken and somewhat secret language of the flower can be quite loud.
At any rate, considering the power of any plant is useful when designing a garden that creates positive energy towards, around, into, and all through the home to enrich and protect it.
The plants and their derivatives are selected because time and practice have long proven them to be magical elements. An example: a plant that is very humble and widely accessible is Dandelion Puff (Taraxacum Officinale), which has been successfully utilized by the very young to the very old in the making of a big wish for generations, as a practice that continues over time and again and again.
This book is wonderfully illustrated and organized by both scientific and common names; each species contains fascinating and forgotten symbolic flower meanings from ancient Greek to Roman times to today. This book would make a lovely addition to a library of floral books and a good source book for a florist who creates wedding bouquets.
However, the secretive messages were scrambled, heartbroken with melodramatic detours heading to sad consequences of misinterpretations due to the opposing meanings of a particular flower in a small nosegay. Eventually, messaging via cryptic nosegay notes fell out of favor.
We know to being gifted a rose or any such species is associated with love, fondness, having a tender heart toward thee; yet, very different and deliberately delivering dead flowers to anyone conveys the opposite message, producing the opposite emotional response. In either case, the unspoken and somewhat secret language of the flower can be quite loud.
At any rate, considering the power of any plant is useful when designing a garden that creates positive energy towards, around, into, and all through the home to enrich and protect it.
The plants and their derivatives are selected because time and practice have long proven them to be magical elements. An example: a plant that is very humble and widely accessible is Dandelion Puff (Taraxacum Officinale), which has been successfully utilized by the very young to the very old in the making of a big wish for generations, as a practice that continues over time and again and again.
This book is wonderfully illustrated and organized by both scientific and common names; each species contains fascinating and forgotten symbolic flower meanings from ancient Greek to Roman times to today. This book would make a lovely addition to a library of floral books and a good source book for a florist who creates wedding bouquets.
March 16, 2022
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Complete Language of Flowers-Pocket Edition is an encyclopedic manual of the traditional meaning for flowers and bouquet building in the traditional manner of the Victorians. Originally published in 2020, this smaller format reprint is due out 12th April 2022 from Quarto on their Wellfleet imprint. It's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
The book has a retro botanical print vibe and the introduction leads directly into a very short 'how to use this book'. The bulk of the book contains an alphabetical listing of the flowers and plants. Each listing contains a color illustration followed by some of the common names for each plant listed, symbolic meaning(s), possible powers, and folklore and facts. The listings are compact, there are 4-6 listings per page. The book includes a nice bibliography and two indices. One index includes the flowers listed with common names alphabetically, the other includes meanings, so if the reader wants to let the recipient down gently by declaring their platonic affection, it's easily looked up in the second index (Acacia, robinia, Austrian roses).
This is an appealing and very pretty book for a somewhat niche audience.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Complete Language of Flowers-Pocket Edition is an encyclopedic manual of the traditional meaning for flowers and bouquet building in the traditional manner of the Victorians. Originally published in 2020, this smaller format reprint is due out 12th April 2022 from Quarto on their Wellfleet imprint. It's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
The book has a retro botanical print vibe and the introduction leads directly into a very short 'how to use this book'. The bulk of the book contains an alphabetical listing of the flowers and plants. Each listing contains a color illustration followed by some of the common names for each plant listed, symbolic meaning(s), possible powers, and folklore and facts. The listings are compact, there are 4-6 listings per page. The book includes a nice bibliography and two indices. One index includes the flowers listed with common names alphabetically, the other includes meanings, so if the reader wants to let the recipient down gently by declaring their platonic affection, it's easily looked up in the second index (Acacia, robinia, Austrian roses).
This is an appealing and very pretty book for a somewhat niche audience.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
January 19, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Complete Language of Flowers is an encyclopedic manual of the traditional meaning for flowers and bouquet building in the traditional manner of the Victorians. Due out 4th Feb 2020 from Quarto on their Wellfleet imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback format.
The book has a retro botanical print vibe and the introduction leads directly into a very short 'how to use this book'. The bulk of the book contains an alphabetical listing of the flowers and plants. Each listing contains a color illustration followed by some of the common names for each plant listed, symbolic meaning(s), possible powers, and folklore and facts. The listings are compact, there are 4-6 listings per page. The book includes a nice bibliography and two indices. One index includes the flowers listed with common names alphabetically, the other includes meanings, so if the reader wants to let the recipient down gently by declaring their platonic affection, it's easily looked up in the second index (Acacia, robinia, Austrian roses).
This is an appealing and very pretty book for a somewhat niche audience.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Complete Language of Flowers is an encyclopedic manual of the traditional meaning for flowers and bouquet building in the traditional manner of the Victorians. Due out 4th Feb 2020 from Quarto on their Wellfleet imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback format.
The book has a retro botanical print vibe and the introduction leads directly into a very short 'how to use this book'. The bulk of the book contains an alphabetical listing of the flowers and plants. Each listing contains a color illustration followed by some of the common names for each plant listed, symbolic meaning(s), possible powers, and folklore and facts. The listings are compact, there are 4-6 listings per page. The book includes a nice bibliography and two indices. One index includes the flowers listed with common names alphabetically, the other includes meanings, so if the reader wants to let the recipient down gently by declaring their platonic affection, it's easily looked up in the second index (Acacia, robinia, Austrian roses).
This is an appealing and very pretty book for a somewhat niche audience.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
April 28, 2022
Thank you for NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Sadly I will keep this review short because, according to my personal opinion only, the negatives greatly outweight the positives in this book.
I liked the cover and the concept behind this book. I also enjoyed the illustrations however at the same time found them completely useless. Content wise, this book is mostly a miss with certain outlier flowers with a decent amount of knowledge written. about them.
The layout of this book is horrendous. Because of my job I have to work on page layout and I would never publish this. The dividers are very randomly placed and the text overflows many many times. Some flowers have way more info than others, there's no aim to make them somewhat standardized/uniform looking whatsoever. The size and placement of the illustrations are completely random as well.
Symbols aren't used consistently, but rather a few selected appear per flower. Now this may be because there is no relevant info in said category represented by the symbol, In that case the symbol itself should still be present without the info/content written next to it without giving the illusion that there is no relevant info for sure.
This is the sort of book that looks good on the shelf. You buy it as a beginner of the beginners and only later realising the lack of knowledge in it, yet it is not pretty enough to counterbalance that deficit.
2/5 stars
Sadly I will keep this review short because, according to my personal opinion only, the negatives greatly outweight the positives in this book.
I liked the cover and the concept behind this book. I also enjoyed the illustrations however at the same time found them completely useless. Content wise, this book is mostly a miss with certain outlier flowers with a decent amount of knowledge written. about them.
The layout of this book is horrendous. Because of my job I have to work on page layout and I would never publish this. The dividers are very randomly placed and the text overflows many many times. Some flowers have way more info than others, there's no aim to make them somewhat standardized/uniform looking whatsoever. The size and placement of the illustrations are completely random as well.
Symbols aren't used consistently, but rather a few selected appear per flower. Now this may be because there is no relevant info in said category represented by the symbol, In that case the symbol itself should still be present without the info/content written next to it without giving the illusion that there is no relevant info for sure.
This is the sort of book that looks good on the shelf. You buy it as a beginner of the beginners and only later realising the lack of knowledge in it, yet it is not pretty enough to counterbalance that deficit.
2/5 stars
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