One of the benefits of being a garden writer is receiving review copies of newly published garden books. I recently received “All about Flowers” written by Thomas J. Mickey, whom I first met through The Garden Writers Association (GWA), as it was called back in the day.
The book tells the story of James Vick (1818-1882) of Rochester, New York, who owned one of the largest seed companies in the country at the time, and whose passion it was to teach people about flowers.
Vick’s seed catalog from 1874 provides the brilliant blue background for the new book’s cover. The book’s many photos and drawings (in exquisite colors as well as black-and-white) are from several different sources of the time: “Vick’s Illustrated Catalogue,” “Vick’s Floral Guide,” “Vick’s Monthly Magazine,” and Vick’s many advertisements.
Mr. Mickey began his research for the book more than twenty years ago. He noted: “The more I read about him, the more interesting he became as a Victorian writer, horticulturist, and marketer, all rolled up into one person. I have been writing about Mr. Vick … for a long time. He has so much to say about gardening, landscape design, plants <and> also about the need to be patient, generous, and kind.”
Published by the Ohio University Press, the book’s full title is “All About Flowers: James Vick’s Nineteenth-Century Seed Company.” It has a “Foreword” written by Charles A. Birnbaum, the Founder and President of The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Also of interest to the reader are the sections at the back of the book titled not only “Notes,” but also “Bibliography Periodicals and Other Sources.” There is even an “Index,” something missing in so many new books!
Thomas J. Mickey is a Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Bridgewater State University, in Bridgewater, Mass. A graduate of the Boston Architectural College’s Landscape Institute, he is also a Master Gardener and a garden columnist. His other books include “America’s Romance with the English Garden,” and “Best Garden Plants for New England.”
I’m really enjoying my new book and I’m learning so much. Just looking at the photos and drawings is a treat. In fact, I know I’ll be going back to it often.
Not a “chore” at all, for sure!
