Weaving Nature
Basketry from plants to people
Published on 28. January 2026
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-1-84246-829-6 (ISBN)
Description
From netting to quivers, basketry in its many forms continues to be an intricate and sustainable expression of human ingenuity. The centuries-old craft of basketmaking and collection of baskets from around the world, from ancient Egypt to the current day, is interwoven with rich and diverse human stories. This account charts the last 200 years of the Kew collection.
Weaving Nature takes a holistic and interdisciplinary view of the journey from plant to basket - it explains why certain plants are favoured by makers and shows how raw materials are worked to achieve the desired use. New discoveries in the historic ethnobotanical collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew unravels the complex web of empire, trade and exploration that contributed to this vast collection.
Rich in stories and images, Weaving Nature offers new ways of appreciating one of humankind's oldest art forms.
Weaving Nature takes a holistic and interdisciplinary view of the journey from plant to basket - it explains why certain plants are favoured by makers and shows how raw materials are worked to achieve the desired use. New discoveries in the historic ethnobotanical collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew unravels the complex web of empire, trade and exploration that contributed to this vast collection.
Rich in stories and images, Weaving Nature offers new ways of appreciating one of humankind's oldest art forms.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Richmond, Surrey
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Royal Botanic Gardens
Illustrations
500 Halftones, color
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 253 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
1312 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84246-829-6 (9781842468296)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Senior Research Leader at Kew Gardens and curator of the Economic Botany Collection. His research focuses on the relationships of people and plants over time, as explored through historic collections. Ruth Stungo worked for a decade as the Chelsea Physic Garden's taxonomist and historical researcher. Since undertaking a three-year basketry course, she explores Kew's rich collections.