THE LIPSTICK PAPERS BOOK REVIEW

THE ANCIENT Greeks, in their infinite wisdom, had deified love, erotic love, sexuality and fertility, in the Goddess Aphrodite (Αφροδίτη, in Greek meaning "born of the sea foam"). Flowers and children are sacred to the Goddess, and that is why people adorned her temples with flowers and brought children there to be blessed. The rose is Aphrodite's special flower.

A lovely little flower book, if you are looking for one, is The Language of Flowers: A Miscellany by Mandy Kirkby with a foreword by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. 

The book has a chapter for most of the major flowers and herbs with information on what they mean, their cultural uses and their presence in literature. Peppermint, for example, signifies warmth of feeling; the Victorians used it in confectionery and, as a cordial, to cure cold. Violet has its roots in Greek myth, and is a symbol of modesty and humility. Each of the book's chapter is accompanied by a color  illustration. 

There are poems on flowers, including poems by Christina Rossetti, one of my favorite Victorians.

At the back, the book has an index of feelings or attributes and the corresponding flower, e.g. coquetry is signified by the day lily and morning glory, faith by the passion flower & c.

Have a lovely start to the week, always with beauty and a book! xxx