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Forgotten Fruits
Forgotten Fruits
Jan 4, 2025 5:43 PM

Author:Christopher Stocks

Forgotten Fruits

In Forgotten Fruits, Christopher Stocks tells the fascinating - often rather bizarre - stories behind Britain's rich heritage of fruit and vegetables. Take Newton Wonder apples, for instance, first discovered around 1870 allegedly growing in the thatch of a Derbyshire pub. Or the humble gooseberry which, among other things, helped Charles Darwin to arrive at his theory of evolution. Not to mention the ubiquitous tomato, introduced to Britain from South America in the sixteenth century but regarded as highly poisonous for hearly 200 years.

This is a wonderful piece of social and natural history that will appeal to every gardener and food aficionado.

Reviews

A great source of inspiration

—— Simon Tiffin , Telegraph

Scholarly and fascinating ... conjures a lost world from the humble gooseberry, leek and apple

—— Jane Shilling , The Times

Attractive anecdotal book

—— Financial Times

Delightful celebration of Britain's forgotten fruit and veg ... an intriguing hybrid of narrative history and encyclopaedia

—— Guardian

[A] captivating book ... written with a wonderfully light and assured touch

—— Anna Pavord , Gardens Illustrated

Christopher Stocks's passion for, and research of, his subject makes Forgotten Fruits a fascinating read - and not just for experts

—— Garden Media Guild - runner up for Inspirational Book Award

Fruit and veg have never been more exciting ... fresh insight into Britain's natural and social history, with inspiration for gardeners in spadefuls

—— National Trust Magazine

5 Stars ... superbly written ... do your bit to keep Britain's varied heritage going

—— BBC Countryfile magazine

This book has arrived at just the right time ... part social history book, part gardening book and part allotment grower's wish list ... if you love the tit-bits and tales behind the varieties, you're in for a treat

—— Garden News

Handsome and readable ... will be enjoyed by people interested in the diversity of British fruit and vegetables and the stories behind their development

—— Joy Larkcom , The Garden

Fascinating ... a delicious trawl through the grocery box of Britain's traditional fruit and vegetables

—— Dorset Echo

Rappaport exhumes the last days of the Romanovs and, relying on archival sources and neglected memoirs, tries to offer the most up-to-date account possible... Vivid...

—— Scotland on Sunday

Eminently readable but still fastidiously researched, no compromising on scholarly or evidence-based investigation... There is a very powerful sense that you are reading the words of someone who is witnessing the sights and sounds of the place first hand, is returning to primary sources and conjuring up the atmosphere with an accomplished writer's eye. The trouble with reading any book about the Romanovs is the sure and certain knowledge of how it will end, yet despite this the book feels fresh and spell-binding ... Compelling reading

—— dovegreyreader.com

Utterly absorbing, a really good read, sensitive and balanced and surely the definitive last word on the subject

—— Dr Harry Shukman, Emeritus Fellow of Modern Russian History, St Antony’s College Oxford

Rappaport narrates her story in an original fashion, focusing on the final two weeks inside the Ipatiev House before the murders

—— Times Literary Supplement

Brilliantly shows how history is never simple but always enthralling when written with this style

—— The Bookseller

Extraordinary and powerful ... Having uncovered enlightening new sources, Rappaport has produced a highly accessible account of the last 14 days in the lives of the former tsar Nicholas, his wife Alexandra and their children

—— Western Daily Press

Riveting account of turbulence, social upheaval and murder in early 20th-century Russia, which draws on new evidence uncovered in the icy, remote city where Tsar Nicholas and his family met their bloody deaths. Juxtaposing fascinating domestic details with analysis of the international political scene, the author strips away the romance of their incarceration and the mythology surrounding their murders to reveal an extraordinary human situation and its seismic worldwide repercussions

—— Sainsbury’s Magazine

Rappaport precisely imagines those last few days ... As the pages turn quickly towards an end that is never in doubt, a picture emerges of a devout, loving and rather commonplace family

—— Waterstone’s Books Quarterly

The great strength of Rappaport's book is her tight focus on the royal family's final three months in the Iaptiev House... She has told the human story, and the truly appalling tale of what man can do to man

—— Independent (Ireland)

A tragic and thrilling account ... Ekaterinburg is really a twofold triumph for Helen Rappaport ... On top of the impressive level of research that Rappaport has conducted in order to produce Ekaterinburg, she also has an excellent and engaging writing style and succeeds in maintaining the tension and mood throughout ... Gritty and compelling

—— suite101.com
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