Here are mine. When I moved to a smaller place 7 years ago after my husband died I gave half of my gardening books to Cancer Research. I will confess to having all of Monty Don's books except for the first one that he wrote, The Pricotty Bush. They aren't on display though.
I now tend not to have vast amounts of books of in the house. Both my mum and dad had bookshelves to the ceiling and in the end their houses felt like they were lined with walls of old, dead energy. They never looked at the books and it seemed they were mostly there because they couldn't be bothered to clear them out. They left that to me. So it was a mammoth job to clear two houses when they passed.
I have a small home, so keep just some shelves - just ones I have, have strong sentimental memories, ones I use all the time or ones that feel like artifacts. I give quite a lot away and go through them all the time. They don't feel dead but are very much alive to me.
I am a fan of 'nature writers' like Robert MacFarlane, Nan Shepherd and poet Alice Oswald. I have guide books to the gardens of Hatfield, Sissinghurst and Dixter and William Morris' garden - which I know and love.
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This was given to me when I was eight by my dad.
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I am also fascinated by the 'Parson Naturalists' and the amateur scientists that have contributed so much over the decades and have been so derided.
Here's my shelf. I thought I had quite a lot of gardening books but it seems I don't! There are about 5 books there which have been used regularly over the years and are falling to bits. The others were dipped into when first acquired but then forgotten about.
My most used books are Geoff H's Practical Gardening Course, the various encyclopaedias of plants and The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I now tend not to have vast amounts of books of in the house. Both my mum and dad had bookshelves to the ceiling and in the end their houses felt like they were lined with walls of old, dead energy. They never looked at the books and it seemed they were mostly there because they couldn't be bothered to clear them out. They left that to me. So it was a mammoth job to clear two houses when they passed.
I have a small home, so keep just some shelves - just ones I have, have strong sentimental memories, ones I use all the time or ones that feel like artifacts. I give quite a lot away and go through them all the time. They don't feel dead but are very much alive to me.
I am a fan of 'nature writers' like Robert MacFarlane, Nan Shepherd and poet Alice Oswald. I have guide books to the gardens of Hatfield, Sissinghurst and Dixter and William Morris' garden - which I know and love.
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This was given to me when I was eight by my dad.
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I am also fascinated by the 'Parson Naturalists' and the amateur scientists that have contributed so much over the decades and have been so derided.
Hello Fire. You would probably like "The Invention of Nature" and "The Brother Gardeners" by Andrea Wulf. The first one is a biography of Alexander von Humboldt, who inspired Darwin to take up journeys far away at sea. Fascinating reading, what an indefatigable traveller Von Humboldt was. I have to say that "The invention of Nature" is more readable than the "Brother Gardeners". But that is just me.
Found a picture of some of the shelving. There are more in the spare room and a full set of AGS Bulletins in a box in the loft. Ditto a box of Scottish Rock magazines too.
I love this idea and was thinking the same. This thread can be it! I am currently reading 'The Hidden World of Trees'. Having read Richard Power's Overstory and learnt a bit about how trees communicate there it was brilliant to read a more factual account. It should be compulsory reading for all town planners/building development companies/MPs. If they knew how trees worked they perhaps wouldn't be so blase about cutting down ancient woodland.
I just taken the Overstory back to the library. I found the book a bit long but really liked it even if at the beginning I thought it wouldn't be the thing for me. It did make me think how much wood I have consumed in my lifetime.
I have dozens of gardening books but the one I still treasure is my very first gardening book which I asked for when I was around 11 yrs. Old. I just asked for a book about gardening, an aunt and uncle gave me Enid Blytons book Lets Garden. It is still available for about £12.00 now on E-bay. This book was my bible for many years as it takes you through the gardening year month by month. The book was mainly a library book apparently so not many copies were sold to the general public. I also have a 1st edition book written by Arthur Hellyer. If you want a lighthearted read about gardening try Down the Garden Path written by Beverley Nicolls.
I've also got dozens of books, about 4 shelves full. My oldest one is probably the one on Wild Flowers of England which I won as a prize for collecting wild flowers (!) by my primary school. Others I enjoy are by Beth Chatto, Vita Sackville West, Neil Lucas on Grasses, Anna Pavord, Alan Titchmarsh, Carol Klein and some really amusing ones by Helen Yemm including Gardening in your Nightie.
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My most used books are Geoff H's Practical Gardening Course, the various encyclopaedias of plants and The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust.
I do have these
This book was my bible for many years as it takes you through the gardening year month by month.
The book was mainly a library book apparently so not many copies were sold to the general public. I also have a 1st edition book written by Arthur Hellyer. If you want a lighthearted read about gardening try Down the Garden Path written by Beverley Nicolls.