The Pursuit of Paradise: A Social History of Gardens and Gardening

‘A fresh and beautifully illustrated account of gardeners’ ideals and their realisations… Open it at any page and one is hooked’ Natasha Spender, Daily Mail ‘The most enchanting, erudite and thought-provoking book on the subject to be published for many years’ Amanda Craig, Independent on Sunday ‘Completely absorbing’ Peter Parker, Daily Telegraph ‘A series of idiosyncratic, delightfully informative and elegantly written essays… ‘This year’s ideal Christmas present for the literate gardener’ Sir Roy Strong, Sunday Express ‘A genuinely important contribution, not just to understanding gardens of the past, but to how we might get the most pleasure from the gardens of the future’ Montagu Don, Observer ‘If you want to be impressively well-informed about why every self-respecting home must have a patio, or why delphiniums, gladioli and larkspur are distinctly passé, then latch on to this illuminating book’ Penelope Lively, Mail on Sunday ‘Be warned. This is a rich brew, not to be taken in one gulp. Gardening in this book encompasses science and history, philosophy and art, literature and the military, politics and sex… it is all tremendous fun’ Ruth Gorb, Guardian