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American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare example image of the 1883 - wine book.
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  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare example image of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare detail view of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare photograph of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare view of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare interior highlight of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare fascinating view of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare highlighted image of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare detail of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare example image of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare detail view of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare photograph of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare view of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare interior highlight of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare fascinating view of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare highlighted image of the 1883 - wine book.
  • American Grape Growing And Wine Making. by Husmann, George, a rare detail of the 1883 - wine book.
American Grape Growing And Wine Making

Ampelographic Americana with bold illustrations and native grapes like Concord and Catawba.

Husmann, George

American Grape Growing And Wine Making
By George Husmann, Of Talcoa Vineyards, Napa, Cal. New And Enlarged Edition. With Several Added Chapters On The Grape Industries Of California, Illustrated.

1883, New York, Orange Judd Company

2nd Edition

$120 USD

Overview

Second enlarged edition of George Husmann’s landmark work from the early California wine industry, richly illustrated with full-page engravings of grape varietals, grafting methods, viticultural tools, and striking modernist-style ampelography. Several plates, with their stark black-and-white abstractions of grapes, have a distinctly artistic quality.

Inside the book

Husmann, a German immigrant, Missouri pioneer, and later California advocate, writes: “A visit to this shore [the Pacific Coast of California] in the summer of 1881 convinced me that this was the true home of the grape [...] destined to be the vine land of the world”. Drawing on decades of experimentation in Missouri, Ohio, Texas, and beyond, he provides practical instruction on grape culture, including American varietals, propagation methods, vineyard care, regional growers’ reports, pests, frost, phylloxera, and California winemaking. This enlarged edition features expanded sections on viticulture in California. Notable for its focus on native and hybrid grapes such as Concord and Catawba, the work embodies a distinctly American vision of viticulture at a time before European vinifera prevailed. It guides vintners step by step through the first seasons, from planting to trellising, while incorporating correspondence from growers in Ohio, the Finger Lakes, Texas, California, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, and Iowa. Winemaking and varietal analysis receive especially detailed treatment. At one point Husmann remarks: “I do not claim to be an authority, nor do I believe in authorities”, distancing himself from rigid orthodoxy. He even disputes Mr. Haraszthy (likely Agoston Haraszthy), who advocated skin-fermented whites (including “Riessling”) arguing instead that such methods rendered white wines harsh and rough.

Why La Fenice chose it

Ampelography meets Americana in this richly illustrated ode to native grapes, where Concords and Catawbas share the page with bold, brutalist-style vine studies. A bold ode to American viticulture, long before Napa was Napa. Husmann’s belief in native grapes and frontier winegrowing reads like an oenological origin myth.

Condition Report

Pp. [1] f.e., [2], VIII, 9-310, [2] advertisement, [2], [1] r.e.

Original dark green cloth, with blind decorative tooling and gilt vignette of a grape cluster on the front cover. Gilt title within a decorative vine cartouche on the spine. Small steel-engraved technical illustrations in the text, with full-page plates (numbered in sequence with the text on leaves with blank versos) depicting grape varieties. Some very light foxing and minor stains; binding a little loose, with slight wear at the corners and light age-toning. Occasional pencil marks in the text. Wear to covers. A fine copy.

Dimensions (inches): 7.5 x 5 x 1
About the author

George Husmann (1827–1902), German-American vintner and writer; pioneer of U.S. grape cultivation and wine literature.

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