Victorian cloth bound book
A charming example of late Victorian horticultural enthusiasm, Open-Air Gardening: The Culture of Hardy Flowers, Fruit, and Vegetables edited by W.D. Drury is a beautifully illustrated volume offering practical instruction for garden lovers of all experience levels. Abridged from The Book of Gardening and published by L. Upcott Gill of Bazaar Buildings, Drury Lane, London, this edition was produced as part of a popular movement in the late 19th century that celebrated nature, fresh air, and the health benefits of outdoor labor—particularly accessible to the growing middle class with small gardens of their own. Rich with period advertisements for garden tools, seeds, and flower catalogs, it not only teaches gardening but also acts as a window into the commercial gardening world of the 1890s.
This copy features an attractive original publisher's binding in sage green cloth, decorated with charming yellow floral sprays stamped in gilt and black, with title paneling on both the spine and upper board.
