In the early seventeenth century the Prince-Bishop of Eichstatt, Germany, created a splendid garden, the first to contain all the shrubs and flowering plants known at the time, including the latest imports from the Orient and America. When the garden was complete, he commissioned a monumental picture book of the plants - the Hortus Eystettensis (Garden of Eichstatt), published in 1613 by botanist-apothecary Basilius Besler, who had helped to develop the garden.

That book, printed from elaborately prepared copper engravings in a very large format, has 367 plates beautifully illustrating more than 1,000 species. Gardeners and horticulturalists, bibliophiles and botanists, indeed anyone with an interest in the history of gardens and botanical illustrations will be captivated by this beautifully printed, carefully researched, and thoroughly engaging book.