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Book Review: The Mythology of Plants by Annette Giesecke

 Every so often I will include reviews of books I have read that in some way enrich my understanding of some aspect of Ancient Rome. Today is one of those days. 

The Mythology of Plants: Botanical Lore from Ancient Greece and Rome by Annette Giesecke is a unique cross between gardening and mythology. Annette Giesecke is a professor of Classics at the University of Delaware and author of multiple books. Out of five stars, I give this volume ten stars, though I may be biased due to my love of both mythology and plants. Five stars for the mythology aspect, and five stars for the plant aspect. Ten stars.

The Mythology of Plants offers a glimpse into the Roman Villa lifestyle. Giesecke focuses on the interior courtyard garden and its importance to Roman culture at the time. She then delves into the various plants that were very popular to plant in the gardens, as well as their accompanying mythology. She uses Ovid’s Metamorphoses as the main source in analyzing the importance of those plants based on their use in mythological stories. She breaks it down by theme, then by plant. By incorporating the myths behind the plants, she offers an enriching experience to lovers of both myths and gardens.

Each section is devoted to a unique plant. She first gives a description of the plant, its uses, and its importance. Then, she recounts the story of that plant using her own translation of Ovid. Her translations are both accurate and entertaining, which is not something that can be said about every translation of Ovid. She is able to capture the essence of Ovid’s sass while still maintaining the accuracy of Ovid’s text. This ability creates an incredibly vivid story which highlights the individual plant and its significance in the mythology of Rome.

While it is still a somewhat academic text, it is a fairly easy read. Giesecke’s overall writing style has a very laid back feel. The reader is transported to the garden through her use of words, and her use of pictures scattered throughout the text. The reader can easily visualize the plant in context of the garden, and is then able to view it clearly in the accompanying mythological tale. The combination of words and pictures create a new kind of experience for the reader, whether they came for the myths, the plants, or both.

The book itself is very well made. The pages are thick and sturdy, and the images are in full color and printed impeccably. It makes a great addition to any collection due to its literary value, as well as its aesthetic value. It truly is a complete package.

I will end this review by noting that I am not sponsored by, nor affiliated with, Annette Giesecke. I discovered this book by accident when browsing online one day, and I have absolutely no regrets about purchasing and reading this book. I’m so happy to have found it. It provided a captivating, enriching experience that has increased my appreciation for plants, Ovid, myths, and gardens. Posted below is a link to the book on Amazon.com, where it is quite reasonably priced, in my opinion. If you use the link, I don’t get anything out of it monetarily, but I simply can’t help but share this wonderful volume with everyone. Happy Reading!

Comment below if you have read the book. Let’s chat about it!

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