A monograph of duotone photographs, taken in The Palm House at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, beautifully illustrate this building as it was prior to its restoration. The photographs capture the cluttered green jungle, worn by time and held high in affection by the enchanted visitors who stepped inside its lofty paradise. By bringing the reader around the house as it was, drawing the eye to detail upwards, along its unique metal walkway and into the smaller treasure, the orchid house; to look at the intricate glass panels, metal structure, the wooden frames with their own unique patina of the passage of time, The Palm House tells its story visually. Meanwhile, in an accompanying text, Brendan Sayers relates how a visitor felt on entering and exploring this exotic world, the history and the origin of the planting, the unique pot and tub culture, and the importance of the collection.

Further to this hardback edition of The Palm House, there is a limited edition of 100 numbered copies, presented in a slipcase and signed by Stein, Banville and Sayers. It is accompanied by a signed archival pigment print by Amelia Stein. This special limited edition is for sale at €150. Please see the ‘Limited Edition’ section of the website to order.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

AMELIA STEIN lives and works in Dublin. Over the past 25 years she has established herself as a singularly exacting photographer. Her area of expertise has been portraiture, working with actors, performers, playwrights, poets, musicians and artists on commissioned images. Amelia Stein became a full member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 2004 – the first photographer ever to be elected. In 2006 she was elected a member of Aosdána. See more of her work here.

BRENDAN SAYERS has spent most of his career at the National Botanic Gardens, where he oversees the Glasshouse collections and specialises in orchids. Published collaborations include the much-coveted and awarded duo of Ireland’s Wild Orchids and Ireland’s Wild Orchids – A Field Guide. In 2011 he received the H.H. Bloomer Medal from the Linnean Society of London for raising the profile of Irish orchids.

JOHN BANVILLE’S novels include The Sea, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2005, and The Infinities. He also writes crime novels under the pen-name Benjamin Black. In 2011 he was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize.