The Curious Lives of Vegetables

Name: The Curious Lives of Vegetables
Brand: Hardie Grant North America
Price: 23.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder

An Artful Exploration of the Wonderful World of Edible Plants, Their History, and Their Crucial Role in Our Future

By: Ali Francis, Adriana Picker (Illustrator)

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Hardcover | 15 September 2026

At a Glance

Format
Hardcover

Dimensions(cm)
22.5 x 17.5 x 2.3

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Hardcover

RRP $39.99

$23.99

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Available: 15th September 2026

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The Curious Lives of Vegetables brings together 110 beautiful illustrations that showcase the magic of everyday vegetables.

Discover the secret lives of vegetables that have shaped our world, brought to life through over 100 hauntingly beautiful botanical illustrations.

From the humble beet to the botanical curiosity of the tomato, The Curious Lives of Vegetables reveals the important, unusual, and downright fascinating stories behind the plants that nourish us.

Food journalist and former Bon Appétit staff writer Ali Francis blends cultural history, science, and narrative storytelling to spotlight rare, heirloom, and overlooked vegetables as a way of telling bigger stories about biodiversity, flavor, memory, and the invisible forces that determine what ends up on our plates. Each illuminating essay is paired with a sublime illustration reminiscent of antique botanical art by celebrated artist Adriana Picker.

In-Depth Resource: Follow the circuitous, sometimes charming, often heartbreaking, and always utterly fascinating lives of over 125 vegetables, with profiles of modern botanists, essays, approachable histories and more.
Stunning Object: Featuring a dramatic sprayed edge and striking silver foil that shines as brightly as the portraits of the edible gems described inside its covers.
Perfect Gift: Gardeners, vegetable lovers, nature enthusiasts, and admirers of botanical art will delight in this gorgeous book.

More than a visual feast, this is an invitation to see carrots, onions, broccoli, and dozens of other plants with fresh wonder. Perfect for gardeners, plant lovers, and anyone drawn to the intersection of art and nature, this book unearths the hidden histories, surprising science, and cultural significance of vegetables we thought we knew.

About the Author

Adriana Picker is an Australian illustrator, artist and designer. Her work encompasses the diverse fields of publishing, fine arts, film and advertising; at the heart of her work is a lifelong passion for flowers, which she manages to find wherever she goes. Adriana is the author of Blossom and Petal, and the illustrator of The Cocktail Garden, Where the Wildflowers Grow and The Garden of Earthly Delights.

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