Product Description
An Oak Spring Sylva is the first of a series of catalogues describingselections of the rare books, manuscripts, works of art, and relatedartifacts in the Oak Spring Garden Library, a collection formed byRachel Lambert Mellon.The Sylva, whose subject is trees, describesnearly fifty books, manuscripts, or drawings, from a tiny 1555 book onoaks to early nineteenth-century advice on large-scaletree-planting--a range including both great books, such as Evelyn'sSylva, Duhamel's Traite des Arbres, and Michaux's North AmericanSylva, and more modest ones, such as Marshall's American Grove, whichhelped introduce the riches of American forests to European gardens inthe eighteenth century.Each description makes clear the backgroundof each book and its relationship to others, while a generous numberof illustrations in color and black and white help to give animpression of their contents.Many of the Oak Spring copies haveparticularly interesting associations, recorded in inscriptions,bookplates, or binding details, all of which are described.

In these descriptive, discursive catalogues a strictlychronological arrangements has been abandoned in favor of groupingbooks related by their subject, in order to emphasize theirconnections.Although there is a brief bibliographical summary ofeach book, the background essays give the Oak Spring catalogues ahistorical setting that should appeal not only to book collectors andlibrarians, but also to garden historians, botanists, and all thoseinterested in trees and gardening in general.

1989, 180 pages.9-5/8 x 11-1/4 inches, including 112illustrations, over 20 of them in color. ... Read more

Product Description
The creeping and climbing Clematis is one of the most popular garden plants.The myriad species and hybrids employ the entire rainbow of colors for their spectacular displays during the summer months.Dr. Mary Toomey shares her expertise as a biologist, botanist, entomologist, and soil ecologist as well as her passion for clematis.Step-by-step photos and illustrations and clear, authoritative text guide you through all aspects of the cultivation, hybridization, and care of the clematis.Also in the Care Manual series: Roses, Bonsai, Cactus and Succulents, Fuchsia, Magnolias, and Rhododendrons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

VeryInformative !
I found this book very informative and full of colorful and illustrativepictures. It gives detailed and easy to follow imformation on how topropagate, hybridize, control diseases and many other tips concerning theclematis. This is a great book to add to anyone's collection of gardeningbooks. A must have keeper!

VeryImformative !
I found this book very imformative and full of colorful and illustrativepictures. It gives detailed and easy to follow imformation on how topropagate, hybridize, control diseases and many other tips concerning theclematis. This is a great book to add to anyone's collection of gardeningbooks. A must have keeper! ... Read more

Product Description
The geographic area covered by this catalog is the Neotropical Region including Mexico, Marginal areas such as the Bahamas Islands, Islas Malvinas, the Juan Fernandez archipelago and Easter Island are also covered. This catalog lists 959 species distributed into 158 genera and presents a complete list of the species that have been reported from this region until August 1, 1989. All reference that deal with the biology or taxonomy of the Neotropical Collembola are included, as well as the fauna of Nearctic areas of Mexico. The catalog incorporates the latest advances in collembolan taxonomy, maintaining a balance between the most conservative and liberal classifications. Under each family or subfamily, the catalog groups genera which are closely related. Under each genus or subgenus it lists the species in alphabetical order. ... Read more

Product Description
An Oak Spring Pomona is the second of a series of catalogues describing selections of rare books and other materials in the Oak Spring Garden Library, a collection formed by Rachel Lambert Mellon. The Pomona describes one hundred books and manuscripts about fruit, with illustrations taken from some of the most beautiful books on the subject, as well as from original drawings and paintings.The earliest book described is Bussato's Giardino di Agricoltura of 1592, the latest The Herefordshire Pomona, an encyclopaedia of apples and pears from the 1870s.In between there is a gathering of fruit books large and small: La Quintinie's Instruction pour les Jardins fruitiers, first published in 1690 and translated by John Evelyn three years later, Duhamel's Traite des Arbres fruitiers, and nearly fifty others from France and Britain, among them Brookshaw's giant Pomona Britannica and a handful of pocket-sized books of directions for grafting and cultivating the best varieties available.Sections on fruit-growing in these two countries are followed by others on fruit elsewhere in Europe (including the books of Knoop, Gallesio, and Bivort) and fruit in America (with Downing, Hovey, and several sets of nuserymen's plates), with chapters on citrus fruit (beginning with Ferrari's Hesperides of 1646), apples and pears, peaches and soft fruit, grapes, melons, and tropical fruit.Each description makes clear the background of the book concerned and its relationship to others, while a generous number of illustrations in color and black and white help to give the impression of their contents.Many of the Oak Spring copies have particularly interesting associations, recorded in inscriptions, bookplates, or binding details, all of which are described.

In these descriptive, discursive catalogues a strictly chronological arrangement has been abandoned in favor of grouping books related by their subject, in order to emphasize their connections.Although there is a brief bibliographical summary of each book, the background essays give the Oak Spring catalogues a historical setting that should appeal not only to book collectors and librarians, but also to garden historians, botanists, and all those interested in fruit cultivation and gardening in general.

1990, 320 pages.9-5/8 x 11-1/4 inches, including 170 illustrations, over 70 of them in color. ... Read more