Explore the natural world through Jean-Jacques Rousseaus letters on botanya beautifully written reflection on plants, nature, and philosophy by one of the Enlightenments greatest thinkers.

Whether on his philosophical walks or his bucolic wanderings: Jean-Jacques Rousseau,a Swiss-born philosopher, writer, and composer whose works profoundly influenced the Enlightenment and the French Revolution,always portrayed a deep passion for plant collecting.

Between 1771 and 1774, he composed eight letters offering lessons in botany, addressed to Madame Delessert and destined to teach her young daughter Madelon.

These letters constitute the thinkers final work, alongsideReveries of a Solitary Walker, and reverberated throughout Europe in the early nineteenth century. Rousseaus project was much more than a simple lesson in pedagogy; it is, rather, a genuine invitation to observe plants.

Under his pen, the descriptions are elevated to the rank of art, and contemplation achieves the status of science. Liliaceous, cruciform, papilionaceous, and umbellate plants combine to compose a poetic herbarium.By Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Illustrated by Karin Doering-Froger, and Foreword by Marc JeansonJean-Jacques Rousseau (17121778) was a Swiss-born philosopher, writer, and composer whose works profoundly influenced the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Known for The Social Contract and Emile, he championed individual freedom, direct democracy, and education reform, advocating that society should align with the natural goodness of humanity. Marc Jeansonis a botanist and the former director of the National Herbarium at the Musum National dHistoire Naturelle in Paris and currently serves as botanical director of the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, Morocco. He is the author ofBotaniste(Grasset, 2019).33 color images33 color images