The Roman Book of Gardening [Paperback]

The first book to look at this particular subject, The Roman Book of Gardening brings together an extraordinarily varied selection of texts on Roman horticulture, celebrating herb and vegetable gardening in verse and prose spanning five centuries.

In vivid new translations by John Henderson, Virgil's Georgics stand alongside neglected works by Columella, Pliny and Palladius, bringing to life the techniques and obstacles, delights and exasperations of the Roman gardener. We also hear of the digging, hoeing, planting and weeding which then, as now, went into creating the perfect garden.

This is a timely and valuable contribution to our understanding of gardening history, Roman culture and Latin literature.

List of Illustrations  Note on the Text  Preface: Preparing the Ground  Introduction: Reserving a Plot: From Virgil, Georgic Four  1. Produce in Prose: From Columella 11  2. Flowery Cerse: Columella 10  3. Nature's Miracles in Pliny's Encyclopaedia  4. A Year in the Garden with Palladius Notes: Tying up Loose Ends  Further Reading: Where Next  Date Chart: As and When  Indexes: Names and Varieties  Plants (English Names; Latin Names  General TopicsJohn Henderson has taught Classics at Cambrdige since 1975. He has written many books and essays on Latin literature and Classics, including Classics: A Very Short Introduction (with Mary Beard).