Book Club

I'm finally getting caught up on some great new additions to my bookshelf. Here is the first in a series of mini-reviews.

Click on any image for a larger view.

Marie Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles
Why we like it:
Text by Christian Duvernois tells the fascinating story of Marie Antoinette's involvement in the creation of the gardens and structures of Trianon. You'll learn more about M.A.'s inner life and devotion to the natural world than her sensational public persona as the Queen of France. The author also discusses Trianon's significance in the history of architecture and landscape design. Exquisite photography by François Halard perfectly illustrates the moody scenery.

I wanted to show how nicely the book is designed, so I photographed several spreads.

This one includes a full-page photo of a detail of the interior of the Queen's Theater.


Rows of aerial hedges (my current garden obsession) march up to the lovely French Pavilion.
The gardens include fragrant roses in all shades of pink and white.

Trianon's French Garden was restored in 1992, and some of the cottages of the Hamlet have had facelifts, plus there are more extensive, ongoing preservation and restoration efforts being made. For more information, check out The Friends of Versailles.
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At top, the cover image is an interior view of the Belvedere.
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Photography by François Halard, Marie Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles by Christian Duvernois, Rizzoli New York, 2008.