Most lovers of fruit, particularly the older varieties, will have heard of Edward Bunyard (1878-1939), who inherited the firm George Bunyard & Co. of Allington, near Maidstone, Kent and wrote, amongst many others, An Anatomy of Dessert  and the 2 volume A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (the latter reprinted some years ago as a single volume).

This book gives a detailed account of the founding of the company in 1796 by his grandfather James, inheritance by his father George, the family background and Edward's career in the firm, ending with his tragic death by his own hand.

Edward inherited a prosperous supplier of fruit trees, built up by his father, but a scholar rather than a business man, with a love of fine wines and enthusiasm for breeding non fruit crops, such as roses, love of planting the nursery with crops for his own interest rather than sale, his heavy involvement with the RHS as a member of its esteemed Council, allowed him to neglect his company and on the edge of bankruptcy, ended his life with a bullet through the head at his London club.

The book is written by a number of authors, but principally Edward Wilson, who writes in a very academic style, with many quoted references, as befits an Oxford Don and Joan Morgan, who writes in her very readable and enthusiastic way, which I found easier to read. Joan has split her 4 chapters into various aspects of his busy life, the Pomologist, Epicure, Rosarian and Committee  man.

At the end, Edward Wilson has contributed a long list of Edward Bunyard's contributions to horticultural journals, plus some under his pen name, showing his enormous breadth of interest in all things horticultural. It is, therefore, a book for the scholar AND enthusiast, but I was left with sadness that such an intellectual  giant should so misdirect his enormous energy