Books you may like to hear about

[mark smyth]

A book about bark that looks like it will be a good addition to a book collection
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bark-Intimate-Look-Worlds-Trees/dp/0711231370/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291804511&sr=1-1#_

since being unemployed I've bought too many books  and added far more to my Amazon wish list.

I did get some brilliant bargains of perfect condition bird guides - "A Photographic Guide to Birds of ..." - for 1p each  . These pocket guides are brilliant for anyone who travels. I've now got 27  http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=a+photographic+guide+to+birds+of All I need now is money to travelling 

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for the notes on the two Sir Roy Strong titles Frazer, they have been added to my Christmas/Birthday/and let's just buy David a present lists.

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

I can certainly second Frazer's comments on Roy Strong's "The Laskett". You will certainly enjoy it.

Paddy

[FrazerHenderson]

Thought Forumists might be interested in the The Daily Telegraph's top 10 books for giving as presents (either to oneself or to others) over this festive period. I've used in quotations the views of reviewer Tim Richardson's

The Rose: A True Story by Jennifer Potter. Lavish book from Atlantic Books (£75) or a basic Waterstones edition (£30). "..a magnificant, wide-ranging study, would make a generous and impressive present. It is the finest disquisition published thus far on the early history and symbolism of the rose."

Trees by Hugh Johnson (£30 Mitchell Beazley). I remember the original which occasionally can be found in upmarket second-hand bookshops. "..I cannot imagine a better general book on trees.."

Weeds by Richard Mabey £15.99 Profile Books. " an erudite and snappily written historical polemic, all in favour of these (reputedly) unloved "plants in the wrong place""

A Taste of the Unexpected by Mark Diacono. Quadrille £20. The gardener/writer works with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at River Cottage and also writes for The English Garden magazine. ".a gently inspirational book.." I thought it a little weak when I reviewed a copy recently, something for the veg enthusiast and ultimately the compost bin.

A Nation of Gardeners by Twigs Way. Orion £20. Packed full of posters and catalogue covers illustrating our affair with gardening. I thought it a coffee table book - worth a flick occasionally but not one for the proper library.

The Curious Gardener by Anna Pavord. Bloomsbury £20. Month by month gardening review elevated to literature. Anthology drawn from her columns in The Independent. Interesting but not essential.

Thoughtful Gardening by Robin Lane Fox. Particular Books £25. another anthology this time culled from the FT, and it shows. A casual pick up in Waterstones turned into a 20 minute read. Good stuff, well told with appropriate erudition and thoughtfulness.  The pick of the anthologies by a long way. One for the library.

Gardens of Madeira by Gerald Luckhurst. Frances Lincoln £30. Do not be fooled by the terrible cover. Good to read on a cold night. A book that needed to be produced to pick up on memories of super gardens.

Dear Christo Timber Press £18.99. Anthologised remeniscences from those who met Christopher Lloyd. "entries are formulaic and deferential..". Not one for my library.

Gardening: Philosophy for everyone by Dan O'Brien Blackwell £12. A book of essays from academics. This could be interesting however "..too many of these essays treat the garden as a metaphor rather than as an actuality". Perhaps not. Well maybe a scan at Waterstones first (that is if they have it in their lamentable selection of stocked books - come back Borders!).

That's the ten - you can get the books at reduced prices direct from Telegraph Books www.bboks.telegraph.co.uk or by calling 0844 871 1515.

Good reading!

[Paddy Tobin]

Frazer,

Of the books you have listed, I have just read these five:

Trees - I thought this was an excellent book, well written, well illustrated and, most significantly, written by someone who knew what he was writing about.
The Curious Gardener - a light, amusing read, a contrast the more usually more studied material from Anna Pavord
Thoughtful Gardening - a man who thinks being odd and different is a virtue. Whimsical and lightly entertainment.
Weeds - a plot like bindweed, rambling but lots of interesting fact and comment
Gardens of Madeira - good photographs. I visited Madeira recently and, judging the book against gardens I visited, I think the author has been reasonable accurate and truthful in his descriptions, a rare occurrence.

[Paddy Tobin]

Frazer,

The fact that most of these books are only recently published casts doubt on the suggestion that they are the top ten; they are simply the top ten most recently published.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Just in case anyone is looking for a last minute present for a cricket lover, and especially one with Northern roots, I can thoroughly recommend the following for both a good read and a good laugh.

"Slipless in Settle" by Harry Pearson published by Little, Brown at £12.99. ISBN 978-1-4087-0209-3

[Maggi Young]

That sounded like something from the  'funny titles' thread so I had to go seek it.... he's right, y'know! ( Sorry for doubting you, David!  )

http://www.cricketbooks.co.uk/products.php?cat=568&pg=11

[David Nicholson]

That's the one Maggi.     'He knows yer know'- Who said that, now we have a puzzle as well.

[Maggi Young]

Well, I remember the great Hylda  Baker, saying of her  large and silent friend
(Marlene?)  " she knows, y'know......"

[ranunculus]

Well, I remember the great Hylda  Baker, saying of her  large and silent friend
(Marlene?)  " she knows, y'know......"

'Cynthia' was the stooge, Maggi.


Hylda Baker (born February 4, 1905 in Farnworth, near Bolton, Lancashire
Hilda Baker was her original name, and she changed it to Hylda with a Y as it was more glamorous!

This dark-haired barrel-shaped comedienne and character actress was the daughter of a Lancashire comedian. She made her professional stage debut in 1915 aged 10 and toured for decades in variety and second rank revues, several of which she produced herself. She had a reputation for being difficult to work with, but this was probably because she was a perfectionist and had to fight for equal treatment in the male-dominated world of British show business. Her most popular act was malapropism-filled gossip with a tall, mute stooge called Cynthia (who was nearly always played by a man in drag).

[rob krejzl]

.... whilst Marlene was one of Beryl Reid's characters.

[Maggi Young]

Cliff, Rob,  your are both spot on.... thanks.
Goodness me.... I must be older than I care to think 

[David Nicholson]

I haven't seen David Shaw around the Forum for ages but wondered if he is going to be stocking Graham Duncan's new, and much extended edition of "Growing Bulbs" published, I think, by Kirstenbosch. Silverhill Seeds have it at £18 plus £17 post and package to the UK.

[mark smyth]

Plant Finder 2009-2010 for only 1p plus postage
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1405341769/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used