Recently there have been a number of plant related books that have done really well in terms of sales. Brother Gardeners is one and What A Plant Knows is another. Personally, I think both of these books are nice additions to any horticulturists bookshelf. But there are always those books that have been forgotten. One of those books is Fruits and Plains: The Horticultural Transformation of America by Philip J. Pauly. Published in 2008 this is an accurate history (much more accurate that anything by Pollan for example — Not that Pollan writes bad stuff, but let’s face it, he’s a storyteller) of the evolution of horticulture in the United States over the past few hundred years — If you really want to know the history of horticulture here in the US then this is probably the best place to start. I can’t recommend it enough.
If GP’s are looking for Blog Post ideas, I think Book Reviews are good potential fodder. Even links to a meta-review of other reviews that bring attention to a new book on horticulture would be welcome, in my view, with any insidery thoughts on the author, or the reviewer. An on-going series on “Recommended Reading” – even on older books, adds another dimension.
I second Ray’s comment. I always enjoy hearing about new (and not so new) books that give reliable information on horticulture or that tell interesting tales about the subject.
I agree with Ray and Sandy! Not that you GPs aren’t already doing enough, but when you’ve talked about books before, I’ve been delighted with the enrichment of my own list of books to read. Keep ’em coming!
Fruits and Plains is going on my Amazon wish list. Yes! A Garden Professors book review series would be wonderful! It would be also interesting to know what books/authors you may be leery of, not simply a recommended reading list (though that would be great, too!).