‘Kate Teltscher introduces us not just to the Palm House at Kew, but to the world of the palm. In so doing, she roams from botany and horticulture, through plant hunting expeditions and literary traditions, to engineering and architecture. Some of the people met on this journey are the privileged members of society, some technical geniuses, others working men who toiled in gruelling conditions to transport a tropical world to Victorian London’ – Margaret Willes, The Gardens of the British Working Class

‘Kate Teltscher’s brilliantly researched account of the botanists and architects responsible is as thrilling as a novel’ – Claire Tomalin

‘Truly, this is a work of which all interested in the history of natural history and the history of botany should immediately take note‘ – Johannes E. Riutta, The Well-read Naturalist

‘Kate Teltscher’s highly readable account breathes life into the key characters and events that shaped the remarkable evolution of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew during the 19th century, and its most iconic building, the Palm House’ – Toby Musgrave, The Multifarious Mr Banks and The Head Gardeners

‘This beautifully crafted book invokes a world of breathtaking Victorian engineering, glass houses and lush tropical vegetation to tell a tale of exploration, botanical science and the making of new imaginaries’ – Vinita Damodaran, Professor South Asian History, Director of Centre for World Environmental History, University of Sussex

‘Put simply, Kew’s Palm House is the most important and exquisite glass building in the world. In this finely crafted tale, Kate Teltscher reveals the extraordinary characters, both human and botanical, who brought about this most improbable of architectural miracles. Through the lenses of history, society and politics, we see the Palm House as an ark for the tropical rainforests, an enduring and poignant symbol in today’s unprecedented environmental crisis’ – William Baker, Head of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

‘The Palm House is unarguably the iconic building at Kew Gardens, and in my opinion, the most beautiful glasshouse in the world. The Victorians created this glorious temple to house their precious palms and today, 170 years later, it continues to delight and awe millions of visitors every year. This book tells its story’ – Richard Deverell, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew