Elegance of Ferns

Solvejg Nitzke is a literary and cultural studies scholar and chair of comparative literature at Ruhr University Bochum. Her research explores precarious nature in nineteenth-century popular literature and culture, as well as climate and environmental catastrophe across ecological storytelling, science fiction, and conspiracy narratives. Nitzke is the author of the forthcoming book Making Kin with Trees: A Cultural Poetics of Interspecies Care. She lives in Dresden, Germany.

• Introduction: Filler Greenery and a Bounty of FormsIn the Forgotten GardenFerns and Frenzies: On Learning to Notice and Falling in LoveIdentifying and Naming: A Short Fern PrimerFern SecretsFern Symbolism and Pacific KinshipReturn of the PteridocenePortraitsReferencesList of IllustrationsIndex

"The reader who casually picks up Nitzke’s treatise with only a passing interest in ferns will be instantly entranced by more than three dozen luscious illustrations from a variety of sources."—Booklist“Fascinating. Fern fever is back thanks to this exquisite book.”—Jules Acton, author of Oaklore“This romantic work is a treasure trove for those interested in ferns. Solvejg Nitzke’s book introduces the reader to authors, poets, and art works that provide historical depth, and opens the mind to the beauty of ferns. Nitzke’s enthusiasm and passion for the subject propel you from one chapter to another and kindle a desire for more. This is the perfect book to discover The Elegance of Ferns!”—Richie Steffen, author of The Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns and executive director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden (Seattle)