Wednesday 27 May 2009

Look at that pipe!








I have recently acquired a later edition of the Gardening Expert which I blogged about a while back and this new one is in REALLY good nick.

I have no idea of the date, other than it's still pre-decimal.

It seems odd they changed the cover simply by redrawing what they had before and the contents are identical (older one top RH).

I also got these two old versions of Hessayons dating from 1980 & 1978 respectively.

3 comments:

Claire Potter said...

I love this series of books, especially the illustrations and mad mix of fonts. My particular favourites in my collection are the 1976 printing of the 'Rose Expert', which has a very classy black and gold technical drawing background with a superimposed red rose on top, and the 1990 printing of 'The Bio Friendly Gardening Guide' also by Dr DG Hessayon, which has a utopian view of a child, a songthrush, runner beans and perfect delphiniums on the front. Mad but great - I'll send you a picture as it has to be seen to be believed!

James A-S said...

Things have never been the same since gardeners stopped smoking pipes.
Toby Buckland wouldlook good with a pipe and, perhaps, a home knitted tank top with a slightly saggy V neck.

Martyn Cox said...

The 1995 edition of the Armchair Book of the Garden is a must-have - it has a red cover embossed with a golden rose. Yes, very tasteful. The Bedside Book of the Garden, published last year, has essentially the same contents, but has a much more discreet cover and a fabric book mark attached to the spine. My advice? Pick up the original for a few quid from a second hand book shop.