Natural History in the Royal Library
Our changing relationship with the natural world, from Tudor to Victorian times
Theatrum Botanicum : the theater of plants
1640RCIN 1167737
This book, finally published in 1640 after years of delay, describes new and exotic species of plants that were arriving in Europe from the Americas, Africa and Asia. Parkinson lists 28 species that had never been seen before in England, including the pineapple, pictured here, which would soon become a much sought-after luxury among Royalty and the nobility.