The gardens of the British working class /

Willes (former publisher, National Trust, UK; The Making of the English Gardener, CH, Apr'12, 49-4459; Pick of the Bunch, CH, Jun'10, 47-5642) has produced an extremely thorough and fascinating book. Spanning a range of five centuries, it begins in the Tudor period and progresses straight through to the 1980s. An epilogue even takes the reader into the 21st century, with a discussion of the "Edible Bus Stop" and volunteer groups such as the Garden Gorillas. Covering topics such as workers in the nursery trade, botanists, victory gardens, medicinal gardens, literary references, and cottage gardens, Willes has left no stone unturned in this exceedingly comprehensive, expertly researched, and beautifully illustrated work. Given the author's scholarly approach and writing, the book is not necessarily a title that someone will idly pick up and browse through; it is a meaty tome, well worth spending days and weeks truly exploring. --Susan E. Brazer, Salisbury University