This book offers a treasure trove of information about over a thousand varieties of vegetables cultivated in Europe and the United States during the nineteenth century. The descriptions of vegetable varieties, growing techniques, and even culinary advice are as relevant today as they would have been in their time. Aside from numerous varieties of well-known vegetables such as beets, carrots, and beans, you will also discover a myriad of leafy greens unknown to the modern palate, how to prepares purslane pickles, grow radishes for their seed pods, and even learn about plants used to trick guests into believing that their salads contained caterpillars and worms!For those interested in the history of vegetable cultivation, in reviving and growing old varieties, or in maintaining the diversity of vegetables available to gardeners and cooks, Fearing Burr's classic is a must have. This new, edited and revised edition, with over 600 pages, contains not only the original images, but also numerous extra full colour images to help identify the plants being referred to. Designs from old seeds packets, works of art in themselves, are also interspersed through the book to make reading more enjoyable.