From the Kew Pocketbooks series, a handbook to the diverse flora of the Mediterranean basin. 

This unique series of pocketbooks from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew offers a snapshot into the diverse and beautiful world of plants and fungi. Each book lavishly showcases choice examples from different groups or collections. From the culinary delights of fennel and caper to the curiously named shrubby hare’s ear and spiny broom, the beautiful wild flowers of the Mediterranean thrive through cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers alike. Famous for classic sandy beaches and idyllic islands dotted across clear blue waters, the Mediterranean basin is instantly captivating. Yet beyond the postcard views lies a remarkably varied landscape, spanning high mountains, rocky coastlines, shaded forests and scrubland shores—a hotspot of plant diversity. This Kew Pocketbook is an expedition through some of the Mediterranean’s most fascinating flora, showcased through forty stunning paintings from the Kew Archives. The Library and Archives at Kew is one of the most extensive botanical libraries in the world, with the oldest item dating back to the 1370s. An introductory chapter by Kew expert Tony Hall provides an overview of this plant group, and extended captions accompany each painting. The luxury finish on these books makes them a must-have gift item, printed on uncoated paper and with a cloth and foil finish.