Up The Garden Path: A Little Anthology

by Laura Stoddart

An irresistible little book of quotations from many writers with robust views on a subject close to all our hearts, and illustrated by a young artist with a delightfully unpredictable viewpoint of her own. From Jane Austen to Stevie Smith, from Daisy Ashford to Oscar Wilde, from Shakespeare to Vita Sackville-West, the brief quotations offer an affectionate and sometimes caustic view of gardens and gardening, houses and housekeeping, and the beauties and perils of the countryside beyond the garden wall. The miniature figures that people the pages, admiring (and sometimes deploring) nature and their surroundings, are characterful and humorous. Laura Stoddart's illustrations are as pretty as they are witty, and the flowers and trees, the greenhouses, gardens and vistas and even the odd pieces of furniture that are scattered through the text make this the most enchanting gift book of the year.

Genres: Gardening, Art

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 1999

Reviews

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sheer delight both in the delightful illustrations & the carefully chosen quotations from literature, drama, famous folk and traditional songs and phrases. The perfect gift book for the book loving gardener. My absolute favourite quote was from Charles Barr & is on page 48. “ The best way to get real enjoyment out of the garden is to put on a wide straw hat, hold a little trowel in one hand and a cool drink in the other, and tell the man where to dig.”

[Mila Sofie]

"The wood, where often you and I
Upon faint primrose beds were wont lie." - William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night´s Dream

"I make no secret of the fact that I would rather lie on a sofa than sweep beneath it." - Shirley Conan, The reason why

"I would like the window to open on to the lake of Geneva - and there I´d sit and read all day like the picture of somebody reading." - John Keats

[Micha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute, tiny book, that is what it is. It's not an outstanding literary piece, and it's not expected to be. Simply a compilation of great lines, paragraphs and verses dedicated to house, garden, and beyond the wall.

[Bella Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a cute book! the illustrations are gorgeous❤️

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweetest little book of quaint illustrations and quotes. Each phrase and drawing made me smile and appreciate my home. A delightful gift/coffee table book that is suitable for everyone. So thankful to own this treasure.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slight collection of quotations around houses, gardens and the great outdoors that serves solely as hooks on which Stoddart's gorgeously quirky illustrations hang. Delightful miniatures in which perspective and relative size are gloriously and playfully distorted, in which a book can serve as a bed or an apple can be as big as a house.

All Stoddart's collections are a delight, but this is I think her best.