Recreating Eden: A Natural History of Botanical Gardens takes garden lovers on a tour of nine of the most beautiful and interesting gardens in the world. It is also a lively history of the idea of the botanical garden and its origins in what the Mosaic tradition calls the Garden of Eden. Although in other cultures it has different names, humans have yearned for this mythic place of peace and joy from which they were expelled. The founders of the first 'botanic' gardens in the sixteenth century attempted to create an Eden that contained a complete collection of all things created by God. Author Mary Soderstrom explores how these gardens have evolved over the last 400 years by guiding us through a selection of botanical gardens that she has visited. Gardens of Empire - Hortus Botanicus at Leiden in the Netherlands - Jardin des plantes in Paris - Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew near London Gardens of the Nineteenth Century - Singapore Botanic Gardens - Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis - New York Botanical Garden Gardens of the Twentieth Century - Jardin botanique de Montréal - Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Garden in San Francisco - University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, VancouverM Featuring: 12 colour plates Black & white photographs throughout A history of each botanical garden Getting there, entrance fees, what to look for, other nearby gardens, Web sites.