British Gardening Books from Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books
British Gardening Books from Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books.
By Michael Stillman
Bernard J Shapero Rare Books recently issued a catalogue of "British Gardening Books." This is an outstanding collection of old gardening books, some among the earliest such books in the English language, dating back as far as the 16th century. Unlike many other similarly old books, there is much within them still applicable today, though certainly some techniques have changed. You could still grow a nice garden following the advice these books give, though you probably wouldn't want to follow recommendations offered in, say, medical treatises from the same period. Some ideas age better than others.
One of the bonuses in collecting gardening books is that often they are among the more richly illustrated editions. Books showing flowers, or country estates, are almost certainly going to have some of the more attractive illustrations. Even more practical guides, such as those for growing fruit trees or vegetables, can carry illustrations that could pose for art. Many of the books Shapero offers in this catalogue are as beautiful as they were practical in the years in which they were written.
Sir Joseph Banks was one of Britain's greatest Botanists. In the late 18th century, he financed several expeditions to locate unknown varieties of plants. Perhaps most famous is his raising funds for nine colleagues to accompany Captain Cook in his expedition aboard the "Endeavour" to Australia. They discovered over 800 previously unknown plants. Banks was the one who named Australia's "Botany Bay." However, other commitments kept Banks busy after he returned, and with co-author Daniel Solander's death in 1782, the book went unpublished. The first edition of this three-volume set was not released until 1900-1905. Item 12 is a copy of this set, Illustrations of Australian plants collected in 1770 during Captain Cook's voyage around the world in H.M.S. Endeavor... Priced at L4,000.
Item 40 is described as the first Scottish agricultural work, Husbandry anatomized, or an enquiry into the present manner of teiling and manuring the ground in Scotland... by James Donaldson. This is a second edition from 1697, although it is frequently cited as the first as the 1696 edition is almost unknown. Donaldson provided advice not only on soil preparation and planting, but on keeping horses, cattle and sheep. There is even a bit of financial information on managing a 60-acre plot. L3,400.
Item 133 is described as "a classic of nineteenth century moss literature." This is probably not the most competitive category in which to be named a classic. How much nineteenth century moss literature can there be? Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly one of the best. Author Robert Rennie provides information on the formation of moss and classifications of various types. The book is, Essays on the natural history of peat moss... L140.
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British Gardening Books from Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books
Some of the gardening books offered by Shapero Rare Books.
In 1747 Robert Maxwell published the only edition of his Supplement to the ministers widows scheme, in a letter to the clergy, directing the improvement of their glebes. This is a book that allows us to add a new word to our vocabulary. A "glebe" is a revenue producing piece of land held by a church or church-related organization. While this book was directed to the clergy, it was important in introducing new agricultural practices in Scotland in the mid-eighteenth century. The book provides particularly detailed instructions on cultivating potatoes. Item 111. £1,750.
Item 3 is John Abercrombie's The gardener's pocket dictionary... This 1786 three-volume set makes you wonder how large people's pockets must have been in those days. Abercrombie was a popular gardening writer in his time, as well as running a nursery. His works were particularly helpful to the layman gardener, some lasting through many editions. This item is a first. £500.
Item 18 is a unique and unusual item. It is a manuscript on toxic plants in England. Around twenty poisonous plants are described, with ink and watercolor illustrations provided on the opposing pages. The drawings in this 1840 bound manuscript display a skilled hand. £2,000.
For those with a more mechanical interest, there is James Small's A Treatise on Ploughs and Wheel Carriages... Small was a farmer and plow builder who described the principles of plow designing as understood during his time, which in this case was 1784. Item 156. £675.
William Curtis did his best to promote a vegetable with little popularity, sea kale. Sea kale is common along the British coast, but was generally only eaten by the poor. It is similar to asparagus in that it starts each spring with long, edible shoots. However, it then develops leaves unlike the asparagus. Curtis' apologia is called Directions for cultivating the crambe maritime, or sea kale, for use of the table. Item 33. £1,250.
Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books is located online at www.shapero.com and may be reached by phone at +44 (0)20 7493 0876.
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