Floriography- An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers by Jessica Roux

4.9 (8)
$19.99

Product details

Web ID: 16836345

A charming, gorgeously illustrated botanical encyclopedia for your favorite romantic, local witch, bride-to-be, or green-thumbed friend. Floriography is a full-color guide to the historical uses and secret meanings behind an impressive array of flowers and herbs. The book explores the coded significances associated with various blooms, from flowers for a lover to flowers for an enemy. The language of flowers was historically used as a means of secret communication. It soared in popularity during the 19th century, especially in Victorian England and the U.S., when proper etiquette discouraged open displays of emotion. Mysterious and playful, the language of flowers has roots in everything from the characteristics of the plant to its presence in folklore and history. Researched and illustrated by popular artist Jessica Roux, this book makes a stunning display piece, conversation-starter, or thoughtful gift.

  • Product Features

    • Suggested age range- Adult
    • Format- Hardcover
    • Product dimension- 6.1" W x 8.1" H x 1.1" D
    • Genre- Home & Garden
    • Publisher- Andrews McMeel Publishing, Publication date- 09-15-2020
    • Page count- 224
    • ISBN- 9781524858148
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9/5

8 star ratings & reviews

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2 years ago
from United States

Good Book

This is a great book for a quick study or reference of floriography. The artwork is beautiful and the author is very in touch with the style she is writing about.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

3 years ago

Perfect examples, explanations and illustrations

The illustrations are GORGEOUS. The pages are short and sweet but also have so much info.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

3 years ago
from new york, ny

The language of flowers

So, now we have social media and everything is always out there. But, long before our time, people found their own unique ways to communicate. One of these was via the message of flowers. For those who yearn for a more peaceful time or who would just like to have a bit of fun, this title offers a perfect guide. Readers learn that this practice began in 1819. From there, it became quite popular as a (clandestine) form of communication. The author notes that, although floriography has not been so popular since WWI, remnants remain. Two of the given examples were that roses still signify love while lilies are often used in mourning. This book includes numerous gorgeous illustrations. The text offers “definitions” of what each symbolizes. I enjoyed this title. It can be viewed as a general guide to flower identification or as a way to think about communication. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

5 years ago
from Beaverton, OR

Unique subject, beautiful illustration

This is an easy read, a beautiful coffee table book, an a solid reference book on a topic that I’ve never seen a book dedicated to covering. I could easily see this at home in a florist shop, and equally at home on the bookshelf of a Green Witch, a poet who loves to write about flowers, or someone who just really likes flowers. The book provides a really neat reference and historical context for the use of flowers as a secret code, so if you’ve read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, you might also appreciate this book, in that the secret language of flowers is akin to the use of fans to secretly communicate in code. The art is lovely, and the book really and truly reads like an Oracle guidebook (or Lenormand, because it also gives explanations for flower combination meanings.) In the back, there are “bouquet recipes” (my description) with accompanying illustrations of different types of floral bouquet combinations to signify different meanings. Easy to approach even if you know nothing about flowers except what’s pretty to you. I’m 100% getting this for myself and family when it comes out. And if they never make it into a deck of Oracle cards, you best believe that I’ll pick up an extra deck to make one myself. * I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair & honest review *

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

5 years ago
from Tallahassee, FL

Beautifully illustrated and informative

This book is absolutely stunning! I have several books on the language of flowers including a first edition Victorian book called “Poetry of Flowers and Flowers of Poetry.” I compared all of the flowers meanings in this book to the ones in my Victorian copy and they are nearly spot on. I’m sure there are many definitions depending on which source you use so I definitely am not going to let that affect my rating. I would absolutely purchase this book for the art alone and I’ll be looking into purchasing a physical copy of this as well as other books from this author.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

5 years ago
from France

Both beautiful and instructive!

I asked for this book because one of my friends keeps talking about plants and she got me intrigued! I didn't think I would be this delighted by flowers and their significance! It was both charming and instructive! Charming thanks to the subject, the way it was broached and the author's illustrations! I loved her style! Actually, I felt good looking at them: I love the atmosphere Jessica Roux created in a few pages. Instructive because we learn something about Victorian society. We discover that, as people at this time never talked about their feelings, they expressed them through plants and, mostly, flowers. I find this so poetic! Just crossing the path of a friend could mean you knew what happened to them or what they thought/felt just by looking at which flower they were carrying! No need to write a letter, you could just send a bouquet and your friend knew what you meant! It is so fascinating and inspiring! Some flowers still mean the same today, like forget-me-nots or roses; others are less obvious. It was really enchanting to learn where some meanings came from, be it history, mythology or classic literature! I even found explanations for names in some works of fiction thanks to this book! It was great to have significance for flowers but also a part about bouquets! I now want to offer some to friends and family, and to fill my house with colors and floral meanings! I'm sure I'll buy a physical copy of this book, just so I can find which flower to offer at the perfect time!

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

5 years ago
from BookishSelkie

Gorgeous & informative

Growing up, I was fascinated with the delicate and secret messages hidden in flowers! This book is incredible at explaining the language of flowers, with beautiful illustrations. Floriography is written in a very accessible and useful format. Clearly drawn with intense care, the illustrations are realistic and elegant. Floriography features examples of bouquets, relevant mythology or history, and flower pairing suggestions. Those who love flowers and seek a deeper understanding of the meaning behind them will want this for their shelves. I would definitely gift it to anyone with an interest in flowers or the language of flowers.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

5 years ago
from Florida

The meaning of flowers

Floriography by Jessica Roux 226 Pages Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Release Date: September 15, 2020 Crafts & Hobbies, Reference The author discusses the meaning of specific plants and their colors during a time when it was not acceptable to voice emotions. The watercolor line drawings are beautifully done. The book is organized in a way that the reader learns about the flower (meaning, origin and pairs with) and then the drawing is on the following page. I could sit and look at this book all day. Of course, my favorite is the Belladonna. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys gardening or loves working with flowers.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com