The Tulip

"One That Scatters and Blooms," "One That Changes Owners," "Those That Burn the Heart," "The Roman's Spear" -- all are names for that most charming and immediately recognizable flower, the tulip. Anna Pavord, gardening correspondent for Britain's The Independent and the author of The Flowering Year and Gardening Companion, among other books, admits readily her obsession with the flower in The Tulip, a meticulously researched and delightfully descriptive history of the tulip.