Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening In South Africa
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening In South Africa (Collectible Hardcover Edition)
A Monumental, Comprehensive Practical Compendium on Climate-Adapted Horticulture and Southern African Landscape Design
A Monumental, Comprehensive Practical Compendium on Climate-Adapted Horticulture and Southern African Landscape Design
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening In South Africa
- Author: Reader's Digest Association South Africa Staff
- Publisher: Reader's Digest Association South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1984
- ISBN-10: 0947008012
- ISBN-13: 9780947008017
- Edition Details: First Edition / First Printing. A highly complete, unblemished archival text block lacking owner inscriptions, presenting the definitive national reference guide under the historic Reader's Digest imprint.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge printed pictorial laminated hardboards, issued without a dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Large Thick Quarto (4to), 552 pages. Lavishly supplemented with thousands of vivid full-colour studio photographs, localized climate maps, planting calendars, and technical botanical sketches.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Good (G)
- Exterior Boards: The original publisher's printed pictorial hardboards are structurally solid, flat, and sound. True to its nature as a heavy reference volume, the casing shows clear signs of being read and enjoyed over the decades, displaying light-to-moderate age-appropriate shelf-rubbing, surface handling friction, and bumping/wear along the extreme extremities and corner tips.
- Interior: The structural text block, heavy signatures, and inner hinges are in excellent, exceptionally tight, and uncompromised condition. The internal leaves, structural gardening grids, and hundreds of glossy colour plates are remarkably crisp, clean, and flat. Completely free from previous owner ink signatures, gift presentation notes, modern highlighting, text underscores, or dealer pencil marks.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
First released in Cape Town in 1984, the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening In South Africa stands as an unassailable milestone and one of the most ambitious encyclopedic projects ever dedicated to Southern African domestic agriculture. Masterfully compiled by a selective brain trust of local botanists and agricultural experts under the Reader's Digest banner, this monumental 552-page guide was explicitly designed to help families create the best possible growing environment for their plants and ultimately the best living environment for themselves.
The text maps out the complex realities of South African gardening, systematically charting out the country's distinct geographic microclimates—from the winter-rainfall zones of the Cape to the subtropical humidity of KwaZulu-Natal and the frost-prone Highveld. Readers are treated to alphabetical A-to-Z profile catalogues of thousands of indigenous and exotic plants, trees, shrubs, and succulents. Every profile delivers strict, actionable advice on soil chemistry, watering frequencies, propagation techniques, structural pruning, and regional pest control. Rich with timeless wisdom and flawless visual production, this classic volume remains an indispensable handbook for local landscape architects, home extensionists, and antiquarian book collectors nationwide.
Author Profile: Reader's Digest Association South Africa Staff
The editorial and curatorial staff of the Reader's Digest Association South Africa comprised a highly prestigious collective of leading local horticulturists, master gardeners, agricultural academics, and photojournalists active during the late 20th century. Celebrated globally for their rigorous multi-stage fact-checking systems and unparalleled ability to synthesize vast scientific frameworks into accessible data, this team collaborated with regional botanical gardens and university labs to compile their legendary manuals. Their landmark South African publications, including South African Wildlife and Everyday Life in South Africa, remain highly prized across the globe for setting the golden benchmark in informative domestic reference literature.
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