The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden

Roy Strong

A lavishly illustrated history of gardens drawing from Shakespeare’s works and garden writing—published to commemorate the 400th anniversary year of his death

Published in association with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, The Quest for Shakespeare’s Garden traces the origins of garden history and the Elizabethan garden, as well as telling the story of the Bard’s own garden in Stratford-upon-Avon. Beautifully presented, the text is accompanied by quotations from Shakespeare’s works and lush illustrations of his gardens, past and present, plucked from a multitude of sources including embroidered Elizabethan clothing and Victorian gardening books, as well as various gardens around the world.

Roy Strong’s detailed account is inspired by Shakespeare’s works and supplemented by Francis Bacon’s 1625 essay “Of Gardens" which provides Elizabethan-era advice to garden enthusiasts on such topics as topiary, seasonal gardens, scents, aviaries, and more.

Reviews

Art historian and garden expert Roy Strong pieces together an account of how Shakespeare's rich use of plant imagery has inspired eclectic gardens all around the world and helped pave way for the development of garden conservation and restoration as field of study. Strong spills stories as if seated by a fireplace after a banquet, and his prose layers fine, formal English over the crisp, juicy histories that he's expertly researched. Glossy pages of quotes from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets complement Strong's words, as do illustrations from collections of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

— Publishers Weekly

Contributors

Roy Strong

Author

Sir Roy Strong is an art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster, and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He is also an honorary fellow of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.