The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (CBHL) recently celebrated the twenty-sixth presentation of its Annual Literature Awards, which honor outstanding contributions to the literature of botany and horticulture. This year's awards recognized eleven exceptional works across a wide range of categories:
CBHL Annual Literature Award
The Vasculum or Botanical Collecting Box: Symbol of the Nineteenth-Century Botanist, Now an Obsolete Relic by Régine Fabri
Published by Plantentuin Meise
Award of Excellence in Botany
The Lives of Lichens: A Natural History by Robert Lücking and Toby Spribille
Published by Princeton University Press
Award of Excellence in Field and Regional Guides
Palms of New Guinea by William J. Baker and eight co-authors, with illustrations by Lucy T. Smith
Published by Kew Publishing
Award of Excellence in Plants and Environmental Change
Rare Trees: The Fascinating Stories of the World’s Most Threatened Species by Sara Oldfield and Malin Rivers
Published by Timber Press
Award of Excellence in Horticulture
Weeds of the Pacific Northwest: 368 Unwanted Plants and How to Control Them by Sami Gray and Mark Turner
Published by Timber Press
Award of Excellence in Literature for Children
Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl by Erica Lee Schlaikjer
Writer: Shan Li Bannai Serasis; Translator: Shan Li Bannai Serasis; Illustrator: Cinyee Chiu
Published by Sleeping Bear Press
Award of Excellence in Literature for Young Adults
The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Award of Excellence in Garden and Nature Writing
The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing
Published by W.W. Norton & Company
Award of Excellence in History
The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and Their Impossible Choice by Simon Parkin
Published by Scribner
Award of Excellence in Botanical Art and Illustration
Botanical Icons: Critical Practices of Illustration in the Premodern Mediterranean by Andrew Griebeler
Published by University of Chicago Press
Award of Excellence in Series
Presented to Phaidon Editors, with commissioning editor Victoria Clarke, for their outstanding series:
- Plant: Exploring the Botanical World (2016)
- Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom (2020)
- Garden: Exploring the Horticultural World (2023)
- Tree: Exploring the Arboreal World (2024)
These awardees represent the finest in botanical and horticultural literature, reflecting the CBHL’s ongoing commitment to celebrating scholarly excellence, accessibility, and the beauty of the plant world.