The Botanical Garden of Brussels (1826 - 1912). Reflection of a Changing Nation. 2012. illus. 312 p. 4to. Hardcover.

The importance of Botanic Gardens is often overlooked and books on their histories are rare. Botanic gardens were, and still are, closely linked to the society that created them. During the nineteenth century they were regarded as markers of modernity and national scientific drive in European cities and countries. Today, gardens focus to a greater extent on the conservation of plants in addition to their traditional research on floristics and taxonomy.

The author used the rich, previously unstudied archives of the Garden and unveils how economic and social conditions; philosophical, political and scientific arguments; colonization and plant collectors; psychology and ego's, among many other causes that fashion a society, actually played a role in the development of the Garden as a scientific intitute. The result is an uncommon and fascinating book that sheds light on the history of a world-class scientific institution.