The Book of the Strawberry: with Sections also on the Raspberry, Blackberry, Logan Berry, & Japanese Wineberry

1902

Truby King Collection SB 385 BC75

London: John Lane: The Bodley Head

The strawberry was one of King’s favourite fruits, and there are several books on strawberries in his library. This particular work was written by Edwin Beckett, who was head gardener to Lord Aldenham (Henry Hucks Gibbs) for 48 years. At the time, the Aldenham estate in Elstree, Hertfordshire, comprised around 3000 acres, including an orchard and kitchen garden. It had 58 gardeners to tend the grounds and it was said to be ‘a rival of Kew in its collection of trees’. King has not only underlined passages of interest in it, but he has also converted ‘northern’ months to correspond with the Southern Hemisphere seasons.