The Roman Book of Gardening

The Roman Book of Gardeningbrings together an extraordinarily vivid selection of texts on Roman Horticulture, celebrating herb and vegetable gardening in verse and prose spanning five centuries. In an anthology of vivid new translations by John Henderson, Virgil's Georgics stand alongside neglected works by Columella, Pliny and Palladius, bringing to life the techniques and obstacles, delights and exasperations of the Roman gardener. For all the cultural differences, modern gardening enthusiasts will recognize much of the familiar heaving and chopping that the writers describe but may be surprised at other aspects of horticulture that have changed significantly over the centuries. This is a timely and valuable contribution to our understanding of gardening history, Roman culture and Latin literature.The Roman Book ofGardeningis the first book on the practice of Roman gardening and includes a full Index of Plants listing names in both English and Latin, the language of botany.

John Henderson is Reader in Latin Literature, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge.