Seeds : Nature’s Intrepid Miracles
- By Cruschiform
- Published by Prestel on 2nd September 2025
- Hardcover format, with 152 pages
A gorgeous, captivating, exploration of nature’s ingenuity, this volume offers fascinating details, facts, and lore of seeds from around the world.
This book arrived first thing yesterday morning, and when I discovered it amongst our post I was immediately thrilled by this unexpected addition to the books I have the privilege of sharing with others. I was able to see straight away how alluring this book is, not just to someone my age but to the younger intended reader too. I began flicking through the book, one section at a time and I was taken back by all the precious childhood memories the stunning illustrations inside awoke. Memories otherwise long forgotten are now vivid once again, and I delight in recalling the different seeds I know of within each section of this gorgeous book I induldged in.
There is much that can be learnt from this book, not just what each seed visually looks like via the breath taking illustrations ( there are 148 colour illustrations in the entire book) but more understanding of how seeds scatter as far and wide as they do, what makes them successful in their mode of transporting themselves, and honestly a beautiful balance of information-illustration has been reached with the content of this book. I never considered their are seeds that float in water, and I am glad to have learnt much new details and depth to Seeds within nature through this book landing in my lap earlier today. I have so much more of the book I am looking forward to exploring too – but I knew this book was getting a type up before any others on the very same night of it arriving here!
Seeing so much variety within one area of botany is truly fascinating, and each illustration is a captivating marvel, so when you combine that not only with its latin name (traditional content is a huge hit for me!) but also a deserving insight into what makes this seed special, thrive, and its history and/or geographical info too. Every single page inside this book offers you and informative glance at the glorious cleverness that is nature. Who would have thought there are even seeds that thrive in heat – such as summer heatwaves and even fires! This really is a worthy candidate for school libraries and topic boxes, as well as on family bookshelves too.
Every detail about this book indicates it was a labour of love. The quality of the content is evident for all to see, from cover to cover, and the attention to detail is exceptional, it really is. I don’t usually receive a non-fiction title that has me typing up about it the same day it arrives, but this feels like my way of doing justice to an upcoming publication that I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to get my hands on a copy, and then be able to share my initial thoughts on it too. I can see this book being referred to by readers of all different generations, and for me it is the thought of one generation sharing their experiences and knowledge of some of those seeds that feature inside this book with the younger generations – further inspiring them with the content and adding a personal element to it as a result – that is what makes this book a favourite of mine now, for any title that can bring people together is a welcome addition to the world of literature for sure.
Cruschiform is a French creative studio based in Paris and specialised in illustrations and graphic design. The studio was founded in 2007 by Marie-Laure Cruschi. Her precise use of colour and geometry is the backbone of her work – demonstrated in her previous book, Colorama (Prestel, 2018). To see more of her work, find Cruschiform on Instagram @cruschiform
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