This updated and expanded second edition of 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, including the Jardin botanique in Montreal and the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Vancouver. A lively history of botanical gardens, Recreating Eden features 12 colour plates and black and white photographs throughout.