I was saddened to hear of the recent death of publisher and historian Victor Crittenden OAM (1925-2014). While I can hardly claim Victor to be a close friend he was always friendly and willing to help historians and writers that shared his research interests. Below is my old review of his important work Yesterday's Gardens.
Yesterday's Gardens: a History and Bibliography of Australian Gardening Books
By Victor Crittenden [2002]
This is a book for librarians and keen collectors of Australian garden books. The first edition was published a decade earlier, and it soon became an intellectual challenge among garden historians to find works not listed in the original edition.
Crittenden lists 208 books in this updated edition and chronological lists all garden related books published up to 1950. Notable publications listed include Thomas Shepherd's Lectures on Landscape Gardening in Australia (1836), E W Cole's (1880s) Coles's Penny Garden Guide, and the better known Yates Garden Guide which was first published in 1895.
The first garden publications date from the early 19th century and were often simple garden calendars published in Almanacs. According to Crittenden, the first locally produced garden publication was the New South Wales Pocket Almanac and Remembrancer for the year of our Lord and Savior 1806. By the second half of the 19th century more and more garden books were published and titles became less verbose. I especially love A E Coles's 1922 Half-hours in the Bush House, a title that may disappoint some non-gardeners.
While Yesterday's Gardens will appeal only to a small market, the author should be applauded for his research in producing this fascinating publication.
Yesterday's Gardens: a History and Bibliography of Australian Gardening Books
By Victor Crittenden [2002]
Mulini Press, Canberra
276 pages, hardback, RRP A$50.00
ISBN 0949910-90-2
Post-script
Victor Crittenden's obituary was published in the July-September 2014 issue of Australian Garden History.
Yesterday's Gardens: a History and Bibliography of Australian Gardening Books
By Victor Crittenden [2002]
This is a book for librarians and keen collectors of Australian garden books. The first edition was published a decade earlier, and it soon became an intellectual challenge among garden historians to find works not listed in the original edition.
Crittenden lists 208 books in this updated edition and chronological lists all garden related books published up to 1950. Notable publications listed include Thomas Shepherd's Lectures on Landscape Gardening in Australia (1836), E W Cole's (1880s) Coles's Penny Garden Guide, and the better known Yates Garden Guide which was first published in 1895.
The first garden publications date from the early 19th century and were often simple garden calendars published in Almanacs. According to Crittenden, the first locally produced garden publication was the New South Wales Pocket Almanac and Remembrancer for the year of our Lord and Savior 1806. By the second half of the 19th century more and more garden books were published and titles became less verbose. I especially love A E Coles's 1922 Half-hours in the Bush House, a title that may disappoint some non-gardeners.
While Yesterday's Gardens will appeal only to a small market, the author should be applauded for his research in producing this fascinating publication.
Yesterday's Gardens: a History and Bibliography of Australian Gardening Books
By Victor Crittenden [2002]
Mulini Press, Canberra
276 pages, hardback, RRP A$50.00
ISBN 0949910-90-2
Post-script
Victor Crittenden's obituary was published in the July-September 2014 issue of Australian Garden History.
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