Coffee Table Books: Nature

Number One Bestseller in both hardback and paperbackThe Sunday Times Book of the YearThe ideal gift for everybody'A directory of wonders.' Guardian'Jaw-dropping.' The Times'Classic, wry, gleeful Bryson...an entertaining and absolutely fact-rammed book.' The Sunday Times'It is a feat of narrative skill to bake so many facts into an entertaining and nutritious book.' Daily Telegraph'We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it. The idea of the book is simply to try to understand the extraordinary contraption that is us.'Bill Bryson sets off to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts, astonishing stories and now fully illustrated for the first time, The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up.A wonderful successor to A Short History of Nearly Everything, this new book is an instant classic. It will have you marvelling at the form you occupy, and celebrating the genius of your existence, time and time again. The ideal gift for readers of every age who wish to discover more about themselves. 'What I learned is that we are infinitely more complex and wondrous, and often more mysterious, than I had ever suspected. There really is no story more amazing than the story of us.' Bill Bryson

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The 2016 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, Botanicum is a stunningly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

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The greatest botanical artists in the world capture one of the most diverse floral kingdoms on earth 44 botanical artists from all over the world, create 120 original artworks. A Ground Breaking 21st Century First: The traditional medium of botanical art is given a new lens with the aim to ultimately connect the reader to a bigger picture - one in which the intricate relationship between ourselves, the natural environment, plants and their pollinators is revealed. Expect meticulous detailing of floral structures, bursting seed pods, brightly coloured beetles, foraging ants, floating pollen and striped field mice...coupled with scientific facts and narrative stories about each plant. This is a florilegium immersed in the natural world, informed by ecology and the fragility of our botanical heritage. Each chapter includes an up-front ‘Wunderkammer’ of artists' notes, colour swatches, working drawings and archeological details, revealing a glimpse into the creative process and ancient origins of the area. - A unique marriage of art, natural science and storytelling is used to share the treasures of our botanical heritage, diversity and sustainability - Featuring flowers, their pollinators and the landscapes in which they are found - Artists’ notes, working drawings and archeological finds bring each chapter to life. Found on a narrow coastal belt on the southern tip of Africa, grootbos is a private nature reserve dedicated to protecting, rehabilitating and conserving the indigenous flora and fauna of the Cape floristic kingdom. The flats, slopes and valleys of Grootbos are a microcosm of the extraordinary botanical diversity that characterizes the region, one of the most species-rich habitats in the world.

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Since the launch of its magazine in 2011, Kinfolk has grown into an internationally recognized brand known for its minimalist aesthetic and strong community of inspiring and influential creatives. Kinfolk's books, with a combined 335,000 copies in print, have applied this lens to cooking, home design, and work. Now, in The Kinfolk Garden, the team turns its eye to outdoor spaces and the many ways they enhance our lives and help us foster community. With a focus on spaces that bring the outdoors in and the indoors out and people who have found ways to expertly incorporate the natural world into their lives, the book explores the garden as a place for work, play, entertaining, and inspiration. Featuring 30 homeowners and their spaces in locations around the globe, The Kinfolk Garden offers an easy approach to bringing nature home.

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