The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: A History 1816–1985
Australian History Gardening Horticulture Reference Natural History Botanical History Biography & Memoir Architecture & Landscaping
Collectors and garden-lovers searching for an authoritative history of Australia’s most famous green space will prize this hardcover first edition of The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: A History 1816–1985. Published by Oxford University Press in 1986 and sourced from Australia, Lionel Gilbert’s 210-page reference is still the only single-volume scholarly narrative that traces the Gardens from their colonial origins to their modern role as a world-class horticultural and scientific institution. The book’s very good condition—clean pages, no inscriptions, tight binding, original dust jacket—makes it an immediately displayable addition to any Australiana, gardening, or botanical library.
Richly illustrated with historic photographs, maps, and architectural plans, the volume doubles as a visual time-capsule: readers can watch the Governor’s Domain evolve into today’s 30-hectare harbourside sanctuary, see rare plantings introduced by 19th-century botanists, and follow the Garden’s pivotal part in international plant exchanges that shaped both European greenhouses and Australian backyards. Gilbert weaves biographies of directors, colonial head gardeners, and visionary landscape architects into the broader story of Sydney itself, making the book equally appealing to true-story enthusiasts, heritage tourists, and anyone tracing family members who worked or studied amid the Gardens’ iconic fig-lined paths.
Because the title has never been reprinted in this lavish large-format hardcover, copies in such clean, unmarked condition are increasingly scarce. Whether you are a young-adult student of Australian history, a garden designer seeking period landscaping details, or a gift-buyer hunting for a premium Australiana reference, this Oxford University Press edition offers both shelf presence and lasting research value—an heirloom-quality celebration of 170 years of horticultural passion on the edge of Sydney Harbour.
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