Re: gardening book sales

**"Gene Bush" g*@otherside.com**

Hello Sharon,
    I find your message very interesting. Perhaps I am the other side......
I have a wall of gardening references and have a list of those I wish to
purchase over this winter. Can not imagine life without my garden books.
    Alpine Plants of North America was just released. Waiting for Gussman's
Arisaema book, hopefully by the last of October. Should have ordered the one
on North American bulbs last year, but will likely get to it this winter.
Last year I ordered gardening books for my wife's Christmas.
    Not only the new... a friend called a week or so ago wanting to know if
I would be interested in their library of gardening books. I have two large
boxes of books on the floor now, going through them. Publish dates from
about 1902 to fairly recent. Lots of state wildflower guides from around the
Eastern US, a few from the West. Absolute gold if you write about the native
plants, or do your own catalog each year. A signed copy of  Mathew's
Hellebores was in the box... out of print and the best information on
hellebores out there. The old b&w drawings in the books have some hand
coloring. Hand colored can make great material for framing, the old line
drawings can be used in my b&w catalog.
    I would hate to go through a winter without a new hard copy book, a cup
of hot tea and a few premium chocolates. One must live, after all.
    Gene E. Bush
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
www.munchkinnursery.com
genebush@munchkinnursery.com
Zone 6/5  Southern Indiana
----- Original Message -----
> I almost NEVER buy gardening books. I am much more into 'doing' than
> 'reading about' gardening. If I do buy something, it has to be absolutely
> technical, or mind-blowingly beautiful, and it has to tell me something I
> don't know. Then again, if I really want to know something technical, I
> could just go into Google search engine and probably find the information
I
> want that is absolutely current.
>
>snip...
> The only other gardening book I can think of that really interests me at
> the moment is full of old-fashioned watercolour plates. But that is just
> for looking at.
>
> I suppose as gardeners mature, they want to garden rather than dream about
> gardening or look at pictures of other people's gardens.
>
> What about in Britain, where gardening has been going on for so much
> longer? Any comments about the book situation there?
>
> My understanding is that Thomas Hobbe's book - Shocking Beauty, has done
> very well, especially in the West, where Thomas is well-known. It is an
> outrageous book, full of excess, lushness, sensuality - it is downright
> sinful, it's so absolutely over-the-top gorgeous. (I didn't buy it...)
>
> So, I guess "shocking" gardening books still sell, and technical ones. I'd
> be interested to know how books like the Sunset Gardening Book (a bit of a
> bible) is doing re: sales. Would anyone have this kind of information? How
> well technical books are doing? As well, that wonderful Reader's Digest
> Encyclopedia of plants - anyone have an idea?
> Sharon H. Hanna
> Writer & Urban Agriculturist
> (604) 736 1889


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