Seaside Gardening

More than a handsome coffee-table book, this latest collaboration from James and Haralambou (Specialty Gardens) offers solid advice, especially for beginners. Lush photographs treat readers to some of the most breathtaking gardens along the Eastern Seaboard as James's detailed captions segue into basics on planning, propagating and planting. Drawing on years of experience gardening on Long Island, James is quite frank about the book's limited focus: the region stretching between southern Canada and North Carolina. Even so, gardeners plying their craft on either coast will find much of interest here. Numerous oceanside challenges are addressed, from erosion control to amending sandy soil; James includes a select but proven list of plants that will thrive under maritime conditions. Both inspiring and instructive, the book offers itself as a perfect gift for those hosts and hostesses generous enough to share their summer retreats on the shore. Garden Book Club alternate. (May)