Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Oh, Joy! Another Book by Beverley Nichols

The colorful dust jacket from The Gift of a Garden
Don't worry - I didn't splay the book open; this is the jacket only.

I adore Beverley Nichols, the British author who writes so humorously about gardens, flowers, homes, cats, villages and the eccentric characters he meets. 

The trilogy about his efforts to restore Merry Hall, his Georgian home and its gardens that he owned in post-war England, are just about my favorite books. I own all three (Merry Hall, Laughter on the Stairs, and Sunlight on the Lawn) and often pick up one volume just to read a paragraph or two. Any page will do with Mr. Nichols as his writing is so delightful. I have written about him many times here at Belle, Book, and Candle.

I don't often come across his books, but yesterday I discovered yet another of his delights. The Gift of a Garden or Some Flowers Remembered was on the sale table at the library. I eagerly snatched it up and paid the overwhelming price of one dollar for it!

This is actually a condensation by Mr. Nichols of three of his gardening books starting with Down the Garden Path (which I have read in its entirety and wrote about here and here), moving on to A Thatched Roof, and ending with A Village in a Valley. All tales of his first garden in 1930s England and its cottage. With Mr. Nichols the garden always comes first.

This volume was published in 1972 and has a lengthy forward by the author written Forty Years On. It still has its colorful dust jacket which is amazing as in its previous life - before I got hold of it - it was a book from the collection of the public library in a small town about 30 miles from here. It is a farming community so maybe the inhabitants weren't too interested in reading about growing flowers in Great Britain. All the better for me!

I shall enjoy tripping about the garden again with one of my favorite authors. 

8 comments:

  1. What a find! I'm a Beverley Nichols fan, too, and have several of his books. Lucky you!

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    1. I was so excited to find this book, Joan, and in such great condition. Even though it was a library book, the only marking is the library stamp on the bottom and top of the closed pages. (Does that make sense?) Some former library books are marked all over the place and have those nasty plastic covers on them. This does not. Maybe because it came from a smaller library system? My good fortune!

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  2. I've not read anything by Beverly Nichols but already have him on my TBR list. I think he'd be someone I really like.

    I love it when you find a great deal on a book you've wanted (or a book you didn't know you wanted, but clearly is meant for you!). I've found many wonderful bargains that make my heart skip a beat at my Friends of the Library bookstore--one of my favorite places to shop, because it's like a treasure hunt!

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    1. Kathy, I do think you will enjoy Mr. Nichols. I would recommend starting with 'Merry Hall.' He is in his prime with that one!

      I couldn't believe my good fortune in finding this one among the ubiquitous best sellers and romance novels!

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  3. I *need* to make 2014 the year I finally read one of my many Nichols books! And I have two of the books that make up this one...

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    1. Hi Simon. Please do give Mr. Nichols a try. I dare say you will find him enchanting. I came to him through the 'Merry Hall' trilogy, but so far have enjoyed everything I have read by him. If you have 'Merry Hall' on your shelf, you might start with it.

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  4. Belle, I love his gardening books. I have never been able to find any of this others, though I know Karen (Kaggsy) has been reading them. One of these days...my library has nothing.

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    1. Kat, One of my best finds was at a used book store in London. It is "Twenty-Five" by our Mr. Nichols and is a very youthful
      autobiography. It is the only non-gardening book of his that I have or have read. I really must read his biography written by Bryan Cannon. I see that my library has it. Oh good.

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