From Publishers Weekly
On its own, this mouth-watering tribute to a delicious topic appeals on many levels. As another in Firefly's Royal Horticultural Society's series, it's a knockout. Like its companions, Flora and Roses, it showcases carefully selected, magnificently presented illustrations from the RHS's Lindley Library. The accompanying text and captions have much to offer readers of many stripes. Gardeners will learn about growing and propagating fruits, and selecting varieties that best suit their needs. The historically inclined will relish tales of fruits from myth, legend and fact ("Johnny Appleseed" was no seed-spreader, but a commercial orchardist-entrepreneur). Food lovers will discover the origins of their preferred produce and how it may have been selected for its essential qualities. Apples, for example, are allocated for cider, cooking or eating according to their acidity, sweetness and aroma. Similarly, grapes are appropriate for eating out of hand or for winemaking, but not always both. Its informative and fascinating text notwithstanding, this is ultimately an art book. The 300 plates are showcased in a large-format, expansive layout that preserves or improves the quality of the originals. Brief biographies of the notable artists further illuminate their work, all of which is carefully credited in a comprehensive index. As with the other volumes in this series, the bold design gives the timeless images a contemporary graphic edge. Here, given the subject, it is also sweetly-almost seductively-sensuous. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
From apples and stone fruits to exotic longans and cape gooseberries, Blackburne-Maze's opus concisely traces the cultivation and cultural aspects of sweet-flavored fruits. Viewed in light of a resurgence of interest in heritage fruits, much of the material contained here should prove timely to gardeners and others concerned with plant life biodiversity. As he writes about where fruits originated, how they developed, varied uses, and ancient legends, Blackburne-Maze complements his narrative with illustrations depicting the alluring spectrum of forms and colors of scores of fruits. Artists' biographies round out an effective, visually gratifying contribution to gardening literature. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Book News, Inc.
A Royal Horticultural Society authority draws upon the Society's premier horticultural archives to trace the development of fruit in all its diversity. The 336 color and b&w illustrations feature luscious life-size exemplars of some 60 species of familiar and heirloom varieties from the pome, stone, berry, and exotic families. Blackburne-Maze (whose name sounds like it might grace a fruit variety) overviews fruit uses, breeding, myths, and facts; and profiles key figures in fruit cultivation and art. Oversize: 10.5x12.5.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Peter Hepburn, E-Streams 07/2004
Will likely enlighten but assuredly will delight... a fascinating reference book, a guide to wide variety of fruits.
Publishers Weekly 09/01/2003
Mouth-watering tribute to a delicious topic... a knockout... magnificently presented illustrations.
Globe and Mail 11/22/2003
Lavish illustrations dominate the text... Give this one to the apple of your eye.
Patrick Lima, Canadian Gardening 01/2004
Filled with seldom-seen botanical art... a fascinating (and mouth-watering) horticultural realm.
Science News 10/25/2003
Stunning... inviting conversational style. Color illustrations from the archives of the Royal Horticultural Society are featured on every two-page spread.
Alice Joyce, Booklist / RBB 10/15/2003
A joyful celebration... exquisitely detailed renderings of mesmerizing botanical illustrations... traces the cultivation and cultural aspects of sweet-flavored fruits.
Ron Berthel, Associated Press 11/26/2003
A botanical and social history of fruits, from ancient times to today.
Steve Whysall, Vancouver Sun 11/21/2003
The fruit book will surprise you... I was amused and amazed.
Katrine Ames, House and Garden 12/2003
A remarkably informative text and superb illustrations... this is the season's most delectable book.
Linda Stilkowski, Winnipeg Free Press 12/07/2003
The history of fruit spans more than 5,000 years... illustrated with luscious works of art from the finest botanical painters.
About the Author
Peter Blackburne-Maze is a leading expert in the history and cultivation of fruit. He is the author of many books and regularly contributes to Garden News, The Kitchen Garden, and The Garden (the Royal Horticultural Society's journal).
Fruit: An Illustrated History ANNOTATION
History of fruit accompanied by 300 color illustrations and biographies of their illustrators.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
A visual feast of stunning illustrations and authoritative text.
Fruit appears in art, mythology, and nearly every religious belief. The uses of fruit are varied: for food, drink, paint pigment, decoration, and medicine. The cultivation of fruit encouraged the development of plant propagation methods, grafting, hybridization, and selective breeding to produce ever improved varieties.
In this book Blackburne-Maze challenges myths such as the story of Johnny Appleseed whose real name was John Chapman. The fable that he indiscriminately scattered seeds is admittedly the worst way to propagate fruit trees. In truth he established a chain of successful apple nurseries that stretched from Pennsylvania to Indiana.
Fruit is illustrated with 300 large, striking and superbly reproduced color illustrations from the Lindley Library of the Royal Horticultural Society. Created by the finest botanical artists, these graceful illustrations are notable for their historical value in chronicling the evolution of fruit and as masterpieces in their own right. Included are varieties of fruit now extinct or no longer in widespread cultivation.
The book is organized into the 4 major fruit groups and covers 61 varieties: Pome (apples, pears, etc.) Stone (plum, cherry, peach, etc.) Berry (currant, blueberry, etc.) Exotic (fig, citrus, olive, almond, etc.)
A companion volume to the critically acclaimed and extremely popular, Flora, this book will appeal to gardeners, art lovers, and food connoisseurs.
SYNOPSIS
A Royal Horticultural Society authority draws upon the Society's premier horticultural archives to trace the development of fruit in all its diversity. The 336 color and b&w illustrations feature luscious life-size exemplars of some 60 species of familiar and heirloom varieties from the pome, stone, berry, and exotic families. Blackburne-Maze (whose name sounds like it might grace a fruit variety) overviews fruit uses, breeding, myths, and facts; and profiles key figures in fruit cultivation and art. Oversize: 10.5x12.5". Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
On its own, this mouth-watering tribute to a delicious topic appeals on many levels. As another in Firefly's Royal Horticultural Society's series, it's a knockout. Like its companions, Flora and Roses, it showcases carefully selected, magnificently presented illustrations from the RHS's Lindley Library. The accompanying text and captions have much to offer readers of many stripes. Gardeners will learn about growing and propagating fruits, and selecting varieties that best suit their needs. The historically inclined will relish tales of fruits from myth, legend and fact ("Johnny Appleseed" was no seed-spreader, but a commercial orchardist-entrepreneur). Food lovers will discover the origins of their preferred produce and how it may have been selected for its essential qualities. Apples, for example, are allocated for cider, cooking or eating according to their acidity, sweetness and aroma. Similarly, grapes are appropriate for eating out of hand or for winemaking, but not always both. Its informative and fascinating text notwithstanding, this is ultimately an art book. The 300 plates are showcased in a large-format, expansive layout that preserves or improves the quality of the originals. Brief biographies of the notable artists further illuminate their work, all of which is carefully credited in a comprehensive index. As with the other volumes in this series, the bold design gives the timeless images a contemporary graphic edge. Here, given the subject, it is also sweetly-almost seductively-sensuous. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Blackburne-Maze grew fruit commercially before working as a horticultural adviser and garden writer. His lavishly illustrated coffee-table book gives an overview of the history of fruit from apples and peaches to more exotic fruits like breadfruit and loquats. Following a short introduction, relatively brief text in each of the book's four main sections ("Pome," "Stone," "Berry," and "Exotic") describes the origins and expanding ranges of the fruit and their history, cultivation, mythology, uses, and varieties.The heart of the book, however, is the beautiful, full-color, botanically accurate paintings of luscious-looking whole fruits, cut fruits, and their flowers. Obtained from the archives of the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library, London, each plate is captioned with information specific to the variety, including variety name, scientific name, and facts about taste, uses, and history. This stunning book is interesting and very browsable, but the subject matter and cost make this oversize volume better suited to horticultural/botanical libraries and academic libraries than to public libraries.-Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
