A Rose by Any Name, published in 2009, is a lovely little book filled with an encyclopedic amount of information. While the art on the dust jacket may look romantic, the content inside is fact-filled and fast-paced. Douglas Brenner and Stephen Scanniello have compiled a digest that not only lives up to its subtitle (The Little-Known Lore and Deep-Rooted History of Rose Names) but also provides something for every kind of rose-loving reader. At first glance, the book seems to be about only 48 roses including Blaze, the Green Rose, and the Yellow Rose of Texas; however, each chapter discusses many more varieties than its eponymous rose. The chapters vary in length from three to seven pages of information, and their content ranges from full discussions to mere mentions. Some chapters convey a brief history of the rose, including its hybridization and its naming, while others also catalog a few similar varieties or reference numerous related roses. The chapter on Barbra Streisand, for instance, includes a who’s who of other celebrity roses, while the chapter entitled “Gourmet Popcorn” tells little about that yummy variety but mentions some three dozen other delicious roses named for food or drink. Most chapters also feature reprints of vintage artwork or interesting photos from days gone by along with extended sidebars or fascinating tidbits about topics like patriotic rose names, such as Lady Liberty, or royal ones, like the Duchess of Windsor. With such a range of content, A Rose by Any Name offers something for everyone. If you like to curl up with a good book, you can easily become engrossed in one captivating story after another. If you crave obscure history or enjoy amusing trivia, you can quickly flip from one snippet to another and satiate your need to know more. Whether you’re sitting down to plan a theme garden of fairy tale-inspired roses or looking for some background on a rose you already grow, such as New Dawn, this little giant of a book offers it all for readers and rosarians alike. Please comment and let us know if you found this book review helpful or if you have any gardening guides that you recommend.
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Patti Dee, Archives
December 2018
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