Product Description

For readers who like gardening (and love the English language), this posthumous collection of Henry Mitchell's Washington Post "Earthman" columns is "equal parts entertainment and shrewd horticultural advice" (Science News). Henry Mitchell is "beloved for his witty, smart, informed, philosophical, wide-ranging and often wickedly humorous columns" (Detroit Free Press).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #920964 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-17
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .75 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Amazon.com
This posthumous offering from one of America's great garden writers is a gem of a book--not a polished one, for polish was never Mitchell's goal, but brilliant nonetheless. His writing is earthy, rich, and sometimes dark, like good compost. His topics are occasionally raw (as in onions and manure) and always lively. It's hard to write about anything for some 25 years and remain fresh, but Mitchell managed to do it. One especially wonderful piece addresses the amazing mystery of plant loss in a small garden. Where could they possibly go? Mitchell decides that neither neglect nor forgetfulness is the culprit, instead attributing the loss to theft: "I have known cases in which somebody stole something like 'Desdemona' and then, in a cowardly way and probably in the dead of night, sneaked back in the garden and put it back in some strange place." This is one of the best collections of short garden pieces around, a fine introduction to Mitchell's work for those who haven't yet discovered his work and a necessary addition to the collections of those who already love it.

From Library Journal
The late Mitchell, one of America's most noted garden writers, brought wit, humor, and intelligence to the genre. This final collection of his "Earthman" columns, following The Essential Earthman (Houghton Mifflin, 1994) and One Man's Garden (LJ 9/1/92), takes us through the gardening year month by month. From the beginning of growing sweet peas in January to the endless tasks of spring to the ever-present challenges of summer gardening and the varied activities of autumn and winter, Mitchell tells his horticultural story in a delightful and informal manner. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries and special collections in horticultural and botanical literature.?Daniel Kalk, Enfield, Ct.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
One of the great voices in garden writing was silenced when Henry Mitchell passed away; thus his legions of fans will undoubtedly be delighted to learn of one last collection of Mitchell's newspaper columns, organized in a month-by-month format. The reader may jump in at appropriate intervals, whether to savor sage advice or simply to ponder the musings of the thoughtful, impassioned gardening savant that was Henry Mitchell. If ever one has battled the odds and tried to grow a less-than-hardy specimen outdoors, how wonderful it will be to feel the special kinship brought about by knowing that Mitchell, too, tested the fates in this way. Maybe waging a battle with cutworms or wanting to crow about raising the most beguiling crocus will be a point of connection; surely there will be many such moments for any gardener fortunate enough to encounter Mitchell's satisfying trove of essays. Alice Joyce