Passion for Roses: Peter Beales' Comprehensive Guide to ... (ISBN 0847826937)

A love affair with roses:
Peter Beales is one of the most recognized names in the rose world and his previous book "Classic Roses" is still one of the best reference books for roses on the market. His latest, "Passion for Roses" is not a reference book but a good introduction to roses. In the first chapter, Beales writes about how his love affair with roses began and how it has progressed since he first discovered them as a teenager working in a nursery. He has traveled the world photographing roses and many of them are included here. He also remembers some of the most memorable gardens he has visted. Subsequent chapters describe the different types of roses (species, old roses, modern roses, climbing roses, ramblers and scramblers, etc.) The last section of the book is an encyclopedic directory of roses mentioned in the book. The photographs are lovely and this is a beautiful book to browse through. However, if you are just looking for reference information about individual roses, then you would want to buy his "Classic Roses" instead.

Passion for Roses:
Needing some specific advice on what roses to buy for my garden, I sent for the book'Passion for Roses' I found it gave me all the information I required,a very detailed discription of the roses, the expected height the rose bush, the scent or no scent, as the case may be, their tolarance to rain and sun and other useful information. A beautifully illistrated book showing the colour of the Roses, this book is a real pleasure to have. It did take longer than stated to arrive, but I did receive an e-mail advising me of the re scheduled date, keeping the customer informed. I would recommemnd the book to any one.

Oh WOW, (Sigh):
This book contains some of the most breathtaking photographs of gardens I've ever seen. You can practically smell the scent and hear the bees! Travelling around the world, Mr. Beales toured a variety of gardens that feature roses and in this book shares the pictures, descriptions and chats with the gardeners. From tightly manicured English gardens to wildly exuberant Pacific Northwest gardens, the rose shows her versatility and adaptability. The pictures of gardens containing four hundred roses of a single variety, as well as hundreds of other varieties and other flowers makes one want to jump through the page! There truly is a rose for every garden, and Mr. Beales proves it. This is a book for inspiration and armchair travel indeed!

Excellent Condition:
This book is a present for my Girlfriend. She will have to let me know how it is and I'll do a more comprehensive review.

Beales' Beauty:
What a feast this book has been. I have saved it to savour it in fragments at the end of busy days, when the glorious pictures soothe my soul and renew a sense of peace and harmony. These combine with the interesting narrative to keep me in touch with the nature I adore while outside the dark and cold rule. Each page offers a vicarious journey into a world of wonderful beauty. Even if there were no text at all, I would treasure this book just for the glorious pictures. As it is, however, the text is informative, and has resulted in my drawing up yet another long list of roses that I feel I really must have. It is wonderful to benefit from the experience and ideas of such a knowledgeable rosarian as Beales.