★ 11/18/2013
★ 01/01/2014
A sumptuously written history of greenhouse horticulture.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Ms. Kassinger’s writing is chatty and intimate, but she has clearly done her library research.” — International Herald Tribune on Paradise Under Glass
“The book [PARADISE UNDER GLASS] vividly chronicles her [Kassinger’s] initiation into the world of indoor gardening as well as the fascinating and unlikely histories of greenhouses and the flamboyant gardens they have housed…Kassinger’s lush writing and exotic stories will delight the armchair gardener and historian.” — Publishers Weekly
“[M]y favorite gardening book of the year...But be warned... you might feel a need to start acquiring houseplants, or even a greenhouse.” — Boston Globe
“Ms. Kassinger’s writing is chatty and intimate, but she has clearly done her library research.” — New York Times Book Review on PARADISE UNDER GLASS
“[A] pleasant ramble through the world of plants . . . Kassinger weaves a huge amount of information into what still feels like a personal memoir, and by the end of this effortless afternoon stroll with her, readers will be startled to realize how much they have learned.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“A self-taught, infectiously enthusiastic home gardener… intrepid journalist and indefatigable plants woman, Kassinger ferrets out the most entertaining and educational aspects of plant science with a researcher’s fervor and a collector’s zeal… Kassinger has a knack for uncovering horticulture’s quirky side.” — Booklist on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“A delightful book, fun to read and share…” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“Kassinger has a knack for explaining without oversimplifying, so that xylem and phloem finally make sense, and the discovery of photosynthesis becomes an exciting event.” — Columbus Dispatch on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“Garden is a lively alternative to traditional botany books…” — Discover magazine on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“…if you told me I was going to find a book on the history of plant physiology fascinating, I would have snorted. But there you have it: truth is stranger than fiction.” — Cold Climate Gardening on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“That [Kassinger] makes botany so approachable is a feat; that she makes it downright enthralling is almost as miraculous as an adorable photosynthesizing sea slug.” — Shelf Awareness on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“This is a delightful compendium of botanical discoveries.” — Meaghan Walsh Gerard of A Cineaste's Collection on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“…gardeners, if you’re looking for a good read, I recommend the book. Yay science!” — My Garden Group on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“This is an entertaining, sophisticated primer on botany itself…” — Cleveland Plain Dealer on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
“This delightful book is jammed with revelations on plant physiology, biology, and an array of botanical yarns that read like a Gothic page-turner... [a] fast-paced,highly readable book.” — The American Gardener magazine
A Garden of Marvels is a delight.” — Bookslut on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
A sumptuously written history of greenhouse horticulture.
Ms. Kassinger’s writing is chatty and intimate, but she has clearly done her library research.
International Herald Tribune on Paradise Under Glass
A self-taught, infectiously enthusiastic home gardener… intrepid journalist and indefatigable plants woman, Kassinger ferrets out the most entertaining and educational aspects of plant science with a researcher’s fervor and a collector’s zeal… Kassinger has a knack for uncovering horticulture’s quirky side.
Booklist on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
[M]y favorite gardening book of the year...But be warned... you might feel a need to start acquiring houseplants, or even a greenhouse.
Ms. Kassinger’s writing is chatty and intimate, but she has clearly done her library research.
New York Times Book Review on PARADISE UNDER GLASS
Kassinger has a knack for explaining without oversimplifying, so that xylem and phloem finally make sense, and the discovery of photosynthesis becomes an exciting event.
Columbus Dispatch on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
Garden is a lively alternative to traditional botany books…
Discover magazine on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
…gardeners, if you’re looking for a good read, I recommend the book. Yay science!
My Garden Group on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
…if you told me I was going to find a book on the history of plant physiology fascinating, I would have snorted. But there you have it: truth is stranger than fiction.
Cold Climate Gardening on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
That [Kassinger] makes botany so approachable is a feat; that she makes it downright enthralling is almost as miraculous as an adorable photosynthesizing sea slug.
Shelf Awareness on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
A Garden of Marvels is a delight.
Bookslut on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
This delightful book is jammed with revelations on plant physiology, biology, and an array of botanical yarns that read like a Gothic page-turner... [a] fast-paced,highly readable book.
The American Gardener magazine
This is a delightful compendium of botanical discoveries.
Meaghan Walsh Gerard of A Cineaste's Collection on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
This is an entertaining, sophisticated primer on botany itself…
Cleveland Plain Dealer on A GARDEN OF MARVELS
★ 2014-01-04Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden , 2010, etc.), an informal, entertaining account of how early researchers discovered how plants work and what scientists are still learning about plants today. The author combines her lively botanical history with personal anecdotes about her own plant adventures and misadventures, and she also chronicles her visits to universities and nurseries, where accommodating, knowledgeable people shared their expertise with her. It is clear that Kassinger has done considerable research as well, for her account is rich with portraits of men from the 17th century struggling to understand the anatomy and physiology of plants. She writes of the techniques they used, the observations they made, what they misunderstood and what they got right. Other chapters reveal what is known now about the functions of leaves, stems, roots and flowers. She even explores the world of competitive giant pumpkin growing. Along with some tips on how to grow a one-ton pumpkin, Kassinger takes readers to an annual fall festival in Maine, where pumpkin lovers turn them into competitive racing boats. The author also introduces readers to green slugs that can photosynthesize; a "cocktail" citrus tree that bears limes, lemons and oranges; and a fern that can remove arsenic from polluted soil. Kassinger briefly considers the promise of the perennial grass miscanthus as a biofuel and the possible benefits of genetic engineering of food plants. A bonus of the book are the simple line drawings by Eva-Maria Ruhl, which illustrate Kassinger's lucid prose, making some botanical details even clearer. Especially charming is her drawing of a borametz, a plant that even educated Europeans in the early 17th century believed grew a tiny, living baby sheep on its stalk. A delightful book, fun to read and share—green thumb not required.
