The Illustrated History of Apples in the United States and Canada (7-Volume Set)

About this book

This book is the result of 30 years of research and seven years of editing. The lavishly illustrated hardcover set of seven volumes comprehensively documents all apple varieties that have appeared in publications in the United States and Canada through the year 2000.

- 16,350 varietal listings (descriptions, origins and histories)
- 9,700 synonyms (other names the apples were known by in different locations)
- 1,650 cited references (two centuries of pomological literature on apples)
- 1,400 life-size watercolors (painted a century ago for color documentation)

This unprecedented compendium is the result of a collaborative effort between Daniel J. Bussey and Kent Whealy. For 30 years, whenever time allowed, Dan Bussey has searched countless libraries for everything published about apples during the last two centuries in the United States and Canada. Dan’s research has identified information about apples in 1,650 pomological publications, which he compiled into 16,350 varietal listings and 9,700 synonyms.

For the last seven years, Kent Whealy has been editing Dan’s extensive research and notes. The seven volumes that Kent designed include the most complete cataloging of the pomological literature on apples ever compiled. In addition, from 1886-1942 the USDA employed 21 artists to paint 7,584 watercolors of 38 families of fruits, including 3,820 apples. USDA’s Pomological Watercolor Collection provided documentation before colour photography existed and is a little known national treasure. Over 1,400 of these beautiful paintings are included as illustrations, in order to create an unprecedented identification tool for apple sleuths searching for lost varieties.

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