Seed Art: The Package Made Me Buy It, by Irwin Richman, published by Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, 2008. 8½ x 11 paperback, 176 pages, with 484 color photos. ISBN 0-7643-2819-0

Please note this book is new, not used.

Artwork created to sell flower and vegetable seeds to the public is bright, eye-catching, and tempting. It reflects the fantasy that any novice gardener can grow beautiful plants just by buying the seeds. This is not a new phenomenon. Over 475 boldly colorful flower and vegetable seed artwork, catalog, packet, and publication illustrations are arranged here chronologically (l1869 to 1997) and alphabetically (acroclinium to zinnia) for easy reference in this fun visual delight. Many images are from the vast and superb collection of the Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the author was Director of the Heirloom Seed Project. See unusual plant varieties from both small independent and large seed producers, like the W. Atlee Burpee Company. A mid-20th century watercolor illustrator’s work is featured as an impressive record of plants grown from seeds; see how many you can recognize.

The stunning images will stimulate artists, gardeners, naturalists, and interior decorators to find these and additional seed art examples to add beauty to their lives.

Irwin Richman is widely known as a scholar of Pennsylvania German culture. The author of many books and articles, he also lectures widely and is a Pennsylvania Humanities Council Speaker. An avid gardener, he maintains a five-acre, garden-studded homestead in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In addition to holding a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania, Richman earned a Certificate in Ornamental Plants from Longwood Gardens where he subsequently taught. After retiring as a Professor of American Studies at Penn State Harrisburg, he has been Director of Research and Development for the Heirloom Seed Project of the Landis Valley Museum, an institution devoted to the Pennsylvania German experience. In Pennsylvania German Farms, Gardens, and Seeds he brings together knowledge gained from a lifetime of study and an appreciation earned from decades of sweating in his gardens.

Table of Contents:

1. Seeds and Seed Art
2. A Gallery of Seed Catalog Illustrations
3. A Gallery of Seed Packets
4. Charles F. McCutcheon: A Post-Photographic Illustrator
5. Sources and Suggestions for Additional Reading
6. Index

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Many of our books on American History, and on blacksmithing, are now being sold under a separate eBay account, n-b-books2. Please search for seller n-b-books2.