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The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener's Companion: Essential Writings
"Every family can have a garden." -Liberty Hyde Bailey
Finally, the best and most accessible garden writings of perhaps the most influential literary gardener of the twentieth century have been brought together in one book. Philosopher, poet, naturist, educator, agrarian, scientist, and garden-lover par excellence Liberty Hyde Bailey built a reputation as the Father of Modern Horticulture and evangelist for what he called the "garden-sentiment"--the desire to raise plants from the good earth for the sheer joy of it and for the love of the plants themselves. Bailey's perennial call to all of us to get outside and get our hands dirty, old or young, green thumb or no, is just as fresh and stirring today as then.
Full of timeless wit and grace, The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener's Companion collects essays and poems from Bailey's many books on gardening, as well as from newspapers and magazines from the era. Whether you've been gardening for decades or are searching for your first inspiration, Bailey's words will make an ideal companion on your journey.
Finally, the best and most accessible garden writings of perhaps the most influential literary gardener of the twentieth century have been brought together in one book. Philosopher, poet, naturist, educator, agrarian, scientist, and garden-lover par excellence Liberty Hyde Bailey built a reputation as the Father of Modern Horticulture and evangelist for what he called the "garden-sentiment"--the desire to raise plants from the good earth for the sheer joy of it and for the love of the plants themselves. Bailey's perennial call to all of us to get outside and get our hands dirty, old or young, green thumb or no, is just as fresh and stirring today as then.
Full of timeless wit and grace, The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener's Companion collects essays and poems from Bailey's many books on gardening, as well as from newspapers and magazines from the era. Whether you've been gardening for decades or are searching for your first inspiration, Bailey's words will make an ideal companion on your journey.
- GenresNonfictionEssays
320 pages, Hardcover
Published September 15, 2019
5 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Liberty Hyde Bailey
715 books9 followersLiberty Hyde Bailey, a botanist, through teaching and numerous publications, including the six-volume
Standard Cyclopedia of American Horticulture
(1914-1917), transformed the science.
Liberty Hyde Bailey cofounded the society.
Born as the third son of Liberty Hyde Bailey Sr. and Sarah Harrison Bailey, farmers, Bailey entered the Michigan agricultural college in 1878 and graduated in 1882.
In the next year of 1883, he assisted the renowned Asa Gray of Harvard University. William James Beal, professor at Michigan agricultural college, arranged this assistance. Bailey spent two years as herbarium assistant of Gray. He met Annette Smith, the daughter of a cattle breeder, at the Michigan agricultural college and in the same year married her. She bore Sara May Bailey in 1887 and Ethel Zoe Bailey in 1889. He in 1885 moved to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and in 1888 assumed the practical and experimental chair.
The academy of arts elected him an associate fellow in 1900. He founded the college of agriculture and in 1904 ably secured public funding. From 1903, he served as dean of New York state college of agriculture to 1913. In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt, president, appointed him chairman of the national commission on country life. Its Report of 1909 called for rebuilding a great agricultural civilization. He edited agriculture from 1907 to 1909 and continued with the Rural Textbook, Gardencraft, and Young Folks Library, series of manuals. He founded and edited the journals Country Life and the Cornell Countryman.
In 1913, he retired to devote more time as a private scholar to social and political issues. In 1917, people elected him as a member of the national academy of the United States.
He dominated the field of literature and wrote a collection of poetry and sixty-five books, which together sold more than a million copies, works; his efforts explained to laypeople, and he edited more than a hundred books of other authors and at least 1.3 thousand articles and more than one hundred papers in pure taxonomy. He also coined the words "cultivar," "cultigen," and "indigen." His most significant and lasting contributions studied cultivated plants.
Liberty Hyde Bailey cofounded the society.
Born as the third son of Liberty Hyde Bailey Sr. and Sarah Harrison Bailey, farmers, Bailey entered the Michigan agricultural college in 1878 and graduated in 1882.
In the next year of 1883, he assisted the renowned Asa Gray of Harvard University. William James Beal, professor at Michigan agricultural college, arranged this assistance. Bailey spent two years as herbarium assistant of Gray. He met Annette Smith, the daughter of a cattle breeder, at the Michigan agricultural college and in the same year married her. She bore Sara May Bailey in 1887 and Ethel Zoe Bailey in 1889. He in 1885 moved to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and in 1888 assumed the practical and experimental chair.
The academy of arts elected him an associate fellow in 1900. He founded the college of agriculture and in 1904 ably secured public funding. From 1903, he served as dean of New York state college of agriculture to 1913. In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt, president, appointed him chairman of the national commission on country life. Its Report of 1909 called for rebuilding a great agricultural civilization. He edited agriculture from 1907 to 1909 and continued with the Rural Textbook, Gardencraft, and Young Folks Library, series of manuals. He founded and edited the journals Country Life and the Cornell Countryman.
In 1913, he retired to devote more time as a private scholar to social and political issues. In 1917, people elected him as a member of the national academy of the United States.
He dominated the field of literature and wrote a collection of poetry and sixty-five books, which together sold more than a million copies, works; his efforts explained to laypeople, and he edited more than a hundred books of other authors and at least 1.3 thousand articles and more than one hundred papers in pure taxonomy. He also coined the words "cultivar," "cultigen," and "indigen." His most significant and lasting contributions studied cultivated plants.
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February 15, 2023This was a trip. It is contagious reading the words of someone deeply passionate about their topic.
Liberty Hyde Bailey loved plants. A lot. In all seriousness, this book is one extended poem in devotion to plants, but when praising plants, Bailey's philosophy on life was also on display, and I was vibing with that.
Pretty sure that old dude and I would have been bros.
Liberty Hyde Bailey loved plants. A lot. In all seriousness, this book is one extended poem in devotion to plants, but when praising plants, Bailey's philosophy on life was also on display, and I was vibing with that.
Pretty sure that old dude and I would have been bros.
September 28, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener's Companion: Essential Writings is a collection of essays by Liberty Hyde Bailey, edited and curated by Johns Stempien and Linstrom. Released 15th Sep. 2019 by Cornell University on their Comstock imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
I was previously unfamiliar with the writer of the enclosed essays, Liberty Hyde Bailey, though his legacy will be familiar to most readers. He was a co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science, helped establish the network of extension agencies which still provide advice and training to local gardeners across the USA, helped start the 4-H movement, parcel post, and rural electrification. He was also a gifted writer on themes of conservation, nature, and the outdoors.
The editors provide an entertaining preface and introduction. For readers who are unfamiliar with Liberty Hyde Bailey, the introduction and preface gives some background and context. The remaining 300+ pages are arranged thematically: the garden in the mind, the growing of the plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables, spring to winter, and an epilogue which includes appendices, notes, a really good bibliography for further reading, and an index.
This is a cozy book full of anecdotes and gently written expository essays about relevant topics close to gardeners' hearts. I tried to read it slowly and savor the writing (and LHB was a gifted and accessible writer with a passion for nature to rival Muir, Thoreau, or Whitman).
This would make a wonderful gift for a garden or nature enthusiast as well as a nice addition to the home library. Fans of Muir, Hubbell, White, Bertram and the like will find a wealth of material for cozy garden reading here. It's a treasure of a book and I enjoyed it very much.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener's Companion: Essential Writings is a collection of essays by Liberty Hyde Bailey, edited and curated by Johns Stempien and Linstrom. Released 15th Sep. 2019 by Cornell University on their Comstock imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
I was previously unfamiliar with the writer of the enclosed essays, Liberty Hyde Bailey, though his legacy will be familiar to most readers. He was a co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science, helped establish the network of extension agencies which still provide advice and training to local gardeners across the USA, helped start the 4-H movement, parcel post, and rural electrification. He was also a gifted writer on themes of conservation, nature, and the outdoors.
The editors provide an entertaining preface and introduction. For readers who are unfamiliar with Liberty Hyde Bailey, the introduction and preface gives some background and context. The remaining 300+ pages are arranged thematically: the garden in the mind, the growing of the plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables, spring to winter, and an epilogue which includes appendices, notes, a really good bibliography for further reading, and an index.
This is a cozy book full of anecdotes and gently written expository essays about relevant topics close to gardeners' hearts. I tried to read it slowly and savor the writing (and LHB was a gifted and accessible writer with a passion for nature to rival Muir, Thoreau, or Whitman).
This would make a wonderful gift for a garden or nature enthusiast as well as a nice addition to the home library. Fans of Muir, Hubbell, White, Bertram and the like will find a wealth of material for cozy garden reading here. It's a treasure of a book and I enjoyed it very much.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
December 7, 2019
I started this book without knowing who Liberty Hyde Bailey is. By the end of the book, I came to know who he is and what he has done. This boom is lyrical. It has both philosophical component and botanical components. Being a gardener myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I highly recommend this to all the gardeners.
August 21, 2019
Lovely book of garden essays by one of the foremost experts in gardening from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This isn’t a book you read in one sitting, rather you read a few pages and savor the writing and the experience. Several times I found myself highlighting sentences that really resonated. A perfect snapshot in time of an era of discovery and growth in gardening but also of an approach to life that was more thoughtful and considered. Great gift for a gardener in your life.
Advance digital copy provided by #netgalley but opinions are my own.
Advance digital copy provided by #netgalley but opinions are my own.
August 5, 2019
Great book. A lovely tome filled with essays, philosophising and essays. The author love of gardening is obvious and infectious. A perfect rainy day read for when you can't get into the garden yourself. Thankyou to NetGalley for the ARC.
September 18, 2019
This was a great read even though I am not a gardener. The author's love of gardening really shone through in the writing of this book, but not in a boring way. I learned some things that I hadn't known.
July 26, 2019
A great book for gardener. It's well written and engrossing. Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
September 22, 2020
I checked this book out because a friend recommended another book by Bailey, but the library didn't have it. So I requested this one to try to get a feel for the author.
If you have any interest in or love for gardening, then this book will probably be a delight. The writing style is engaging and inviting. But as I have exactly zero interest in gardening (and a fair amount of guilt about it) it is most decidedly not the book for me.
If you have any interest in or love for gardening, then this book will probably be a delight. The writing style is engaging and inviting. But as I have exactly zero interest in gardening (and a fair amount of guilt about it) it is most decidedly not the book for me.
July 5, 2019
There is absolutely no doubt that the author LOVES gardening and regards it as a religion of sorts. The love for gardening is quite infectious.
I was hoping to have some more facts regarding plants/species and cares but overall it was very enjoyable.
I was hoping to have some more facts regarding plants/species and cares but overall it was very enjoyable.
June 1, 2020
Both useful & philosophical. Really delightful to read in the springtime.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews