Author(s): Ian Thompson

Gardening general

Warmonger, womanizer and autocrat, Louis XIV, France's self-styled 'Sun King', was also history's most fanatical gardener. At Versailles, he created not only Europe's most lavish palace but the most extensive gardens the Western world has ever seen. Assisting Louis was a lowly born yet phenomenally talented gardener, Andre Le Notre. While Louis could strike fear into the highest in the land, Le Notre enjoyed the king's trust and friendship for more than forty years. In this lavishly illustrated book, Ian Thompson reveals with knowledge, wit and insight the intertwined stories of an extraordinary garden and an extraordinary friendship.