On its own, this mouth-watering tribute to a delicious topic appeals on many levels. As another in Firefly's Royal Horticultural Society's series, it's a knockout. Like its companions, Flora and Roses, it showcases carefully selected, magnificently presented illustrations from the RHS's Lindley Library. The accompanying text and captions have much to offer readers of many stripes. Gardeners will learn about growing and propagating fruits, and selecting varieties that best suit their needs. The historically inclined will relish tales of fruits from myth, legend and fact ("Johnny Appleseed" was no seed-spreader, but a commercial orchardist-entrepreneur). Food lovers will discover the origins of their preferred produce and how it may have been selected for its essential qualities. Apples, for example, are allocated for cider, cooking or eating according to their acidity, sweetness and aroma. Similarly, grapes are appropriate for eating out of hand or for winemaking, but not always both. Its informative and fascinating text notwithstanding, this is ultimately an art book. The 300 plates are showcased in a large-format, expansive layout that preserves or improves the quality of the originals. Brief biographies of the notable artists further illuminate their work, all of which is carefully credited in a comprehensive index. As with the other volumes in this series, the bold design gives the timeless images a contemporary graphic edge. Here, given the subject, it is also sweetly—almost seductively—sensuous. (Sept.)
Note: The revised pub date for Real Men Do Yoga by John Capouya (Forecasts, Aug. 4) is September.
