Friday, January 06, 2006

Books to be read

I am just finishing up Michael Pollan's Second Nature, A Gardener's Education. Very good read. One of those you really want to savor but seem to inhale in two sittings. There were lots of gardening books referenced in this tome that I had never heard of. So after a little searching, I found that Mr. Pollan in addition to his work with the New York Times Magazine, is also a contributing editor to The Modern Library, an arm of Random House. The Modern Libary has sought out and re-released these classic gardening books from years past. Some from not so long ago and some from really long ago. Looks like my dance card is full till Spring.

Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi








My Summer in a Garden by Charles Dudley Warner








The Gardener's Year by Karel Capek











We Made a Garden by Margery Fish





Don't you just love the retro cover art. Also check out: The Gardener's Bed Book by Richardson Wright (a series of short essays about gardening perfect to read before going to sleep) and The American Gardener (out of print since 1856). Interesting to see what gardening was all about in those days. I love reading about gardening a long time ago. My grandfather has all sorts of clippings that he saved from various sources, back issues of organic gardening from the 50's and 60's. Tons of back issues of, I think, a magazine called Horticulture, that I just love. There are advertisements in the back of that magazine selling Multiflora Rose, touting it as the solution to so many problems. Oh, if they only knew what they had unleashed. I could make a killing copying those ads, making t-shirts and selling them to wetland scientists. Multiflora Rose is the bane of our existence.

Bulb patrol has not reavealed an aconite or snowdrops yet, but the hellebores is really showing some new growth. And have you noticed the increase in day length? It's subtle, but it's getting lighter longer. Only a short time til we can start seedlings. Woohoo. Happy garden reading!

3 Comments:

Blogger Liz said...

I love Michael Pollan's writing. I'm sure you saw this already, but I'll pass along the link anyway:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/12/27/101410/47
It's a transcription of an interview w/Pollan from the movie The Future of Food. I have plans to write about that soon.

2:19 PM  
Blogger Susan Harris said...

I loved Second Nature, too, and Botany of Desire, too. Very thought-provoking. Susan

9:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, I like the Retro cover art as well. I have read Green Thoughts, The Gardener's Year & We Made A Garden...Yes! I have noticed the increase in daylight! Happy New Year!

11:30 PM  

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