Language Flowers (7 results)

Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. This book is a captivating exploration of the rich symbolism embedded within the Victorian language of flowers. The author delves into the cultural and historical significance of this unique form of communication, tracing its origins from ancient herbalism through its peak of popularity in Victorian England. Victorian gardens brimmed with evocative blooms, each blossom carrying a secret message, a code known to Victorian society. This book unveils the fascinating meanings behind these floral exchanges, revealing how Victorians used flowers to express emotions, convey hidden messages, and navigate the complexities of courtship and social etiquette. Through captivating anecdotes and meticulous research, the author invites readers to discover the forgotten language of flowers, offering a glimpse into the Victorian era's delicate sensibilities and intricate social customs. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item.

Condition: Fine. KOS01300369.

Condition: Fine. The book is in fine condition.

13 x 15,8 cm. (36 S.) mit 12 Farbtafeln, illustr. OLwd. mit Goldpr. u. Ganzgoldschnitt (Vorsatz mit kl. Klebstoffspur). 2 S. mit je einem winz. Fleckchen, 1 S. mit Abklatsch einer handschr. Notiz. Insges. nahezu tadelloses Exemplar. EA. * Die zwölf entzückenden Chromolithographien zeigen Kinder mit Blumen oder in blütenartigen Kleidern. Enthält Zitate, zwei kurze Texte von Perceval u. C.F. Hoffman sowie ein ausführliches Blumenverzeichnis nebst Bedeutungen.

Oblong folio, 12 x 18 inches, on stiff flexible board. Generally very attractive original condition.

The Language of Flowers phenomenon flourished for almost eighty years, beginning in France in the early 19th century. As both potent and subtle symbols in Western culture, flowers are found in religious texts, poetry, heraldic, and emblematic literature from the classical period and early Christianity, through medieval literature and the enlightenment. In the early 19th century books were written and published for the first time under titles such as AbÈcÈdaire de Flore ou Langage des Fleurs (1811), Oracles de Flore (1816), Emblemes de Flore et des VÈgÈaux (1819) and Le Langage des Fleurs (1819). With those publications, the language of flowers and its exploration of floral symbolism in communication - usually as a language of love and romance - gained acceptance and popularity. During its nascent years in France, the language of flowers had a relatively limited, affluent audience, but once publishers saw the potential for profit and obtained the ability to print and illustrate books on a large scale, they began to publish language of flowers texts in the popular formats of literary annuals, gift books, and almanacs. By 1830, the genre was widely available to a new world of fervent book buyers and readers in the working and middle classes. The vogue for language of flowers books was so prevalent that it became the subject of parodies and satires by, among others, Frederick Marryat and J. J. Grandville. Herman Melville was a devotee of symbolic flower language and referred to it in Mardi and Pierre and poems written to his wife Lizzie. The core of this collection of language of flowers titles was assembled by Doris Ann Elmore, a French teacher in San Francisco and lifelong Francophile. The collection is unusual for its scope. The collection is for sale en bloc. A detailed description of the collection is available via pdf on our website on the catalogues page. See Beverly Seaton, The Language of Flowers, A History. University Press of Virginia, 1995.

Philadelphia: Corey, Lea & Blanchard, 1835. 12mo. Orig. full old roan (re-spined). A.e.g. (326, xpp.). With 6 full-page hand-col. plates of flowers. Text foxed.