Elizabeth in the Garden by Trea Martyn

The beguiling story of how Elizabeth I’s two great courtiers fought a lifelong duel for her affections – with their gardens.

Book Description
Lord Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth I’s lover, and Sir William Cecil, her chief political adviser, were the most powerful men in the country. As their rivalry intensified, they competed by creating ever more fabulous gardens for their Queen.

Dudley’s aim was to woo her; Cecil’s, to stop Dudley in his tracks. Dudley set out an intoxicatingly romantic garden, and threw spectacular outdoor parties for his Queen; Cecil countered by building a sumptuous palace with amazing gardens overseen by the most famous gardener in the country, John Gerard. This is the beguiling story of a lifelong duel. For Elizabeth, these gardens were places for love and intrigue, power play and spectacular design. Read more

How Australia played its part in Darwin’s theory of evolution

On January 12 1836, Charles Darwin stood about the deck of the tiny brig HMS Beagle as it made its way into Sydney Cove. The observations he was to make during his journey around the young Australian colony would contribute to his thinking about evolution – the theory through which he would come to change our thinking about the entire natural world.

In 1859, aged 50, Darwin would publish On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection to great controversy. 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the naturalist’s birth and the 150th
anniversary of the publication of this seminal work. As part of the anniversary celebrations, numerous exhibitions and events are planned nationwide.

Cambridge University Press Australia is celebrating this occasion with the release of a full colour, large format version of its classic Charles Darwin in Australia in a special Anniversary Edition. The book’s husband and wife author team are Frank Nicholas, Emeritus Professor of Animal Genetics at the University of Sydney and Jan Nicholas, a retired librarian whose knowledge of the Martens collections in the State Library of NSW’s Mitchell Library was a major impetus for the work. Read more