A photo-art book disguised as a fruit manual.
Markham, Ernest
Raspberries
And Kindred Fruits. How To Obtain Fresh Supplies Daily From June To November With Chapters On The Loganberry, Hybrid Berries And Giant Blackberries.
1936, London, Macmillan And Co.
First Edition
Overview
First edition, 1936. Frontispiece plus nine black-and-white photo plates, all as called for. Covers history, propagation, culture, general management, pests and diseases, and varieties. Includes detailed discussions of seasonal and perpetual types, along with agricultural practices for disease and pest control.
Inside the book
The striking black-and-white photography elevates the work into an artistic endeavor. The portrait of the so called Lloyd George, dedicated to the prime minister, has the air of a memento mori, while the image of the lowberry appears gleaming and monumental. A book for anyone seeking not only practical horticultural guidance but also a meditative and artistic journey into the world of antioxidants and anthocyanins.
Why La Fenice chose it
Because when a fruit manual doubles as a photographic meditation on perishability and light, we pay attention. The gleaming lowberry, the sombre Lloyd George, this is garden advice with gravitas.
Condition Report
Pp. [1] f.e, vii, 69, [2], [1] r.e., 10 photographic plates (out of pagination).
Conditions: Original red cloth binding, gilt title on spine. With 10 highly realistic photographic plates depicting berries. An excellent, very fresh copy.
Dimensions (inches): 7.5 x 5 x 0.5
About the author
Ernest Markham, British horticulturist and author, active in the early 20th century