Sow Library: Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers - Botanising in Britain by John Gilmour and Max Walters 1954

Founder Jessica talks us through why this is a favourite book from her collection.

“Introducing British wild flowers to those who may feel in need of help or guidance, despite being keen and interested.” Editor’s Preface

I know you’re not meant to judge a book by it’s cover - but I picked this up in a vintage shop and knew regardless of what was inside - I’d be buying it. A lot of flower and plant reference books have such typographic style covers or big photographs, it’s so nice to see something from this era with such a unusual cover.

Clifford and Rosemary Ellis the designers of the cover formed a partnership designing posters and book jackets. As well as founding the Bath Academy of Art. They have a distinctive style as their work uses a lot of bright colours and images of animals.

“Now most people know, and hay-fever sufferers are painfully aware, that different kinds of plants produce very different amounts of pollen. Some, like grasses and most forest trees, produce masses of dust-like pollen blown by the wind; whilst most plants with showy flowers have only comparatively small amount of pollen which is transferred to the stigma of another flower usually through the agency of an insect visitor.”

This is one of those books that once you’ve read it, you start looking at day to day plants differently. You know more about the history. It covers woodlands, hedgerows, heaths and moors and why plants thrive in the conditions they’re in. It’s part of the reason I stopped over-looking certain plants in my designs and tried to take more of an interest in seasonal plants.

The mixture of colour and black and white photography in the same book is a design touch I love. The depth of the black and white images draw you in and you notice the textures. We often automatically choose to photograph flowers in colour, but you don’t miss anything through these particular shots.

Hero image credit: Wild Flowers by John Gilmour and Max Walters. Jacket design by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis