Many gardeners seem to be like us - when you’re not up to your ears in plants, soil and compost (or asleep on the sofa!), then you’ve got your nose in a book!

How often have you wanted to get hold of an old gardening book, perhaps one you had years ago and lent to a friend who forgot to return it?

Well, a friend of ours introduced us to abebooks.com, which is an international web-based agency putting would-be buyers of books in touch with a vast array of booksellers with books on all sorts of subjects.  There is also a UK-based site at abebooks.co.uk
You can do an instant search on-line and, if what you want is not there, you can register it as a ‘want’ and you’ll receive an e-mail when it comes available.  There is no obligation to buy, and the service is free!

We are delighted with abebooks, and have found quite a few books we have wanted for a while.  Why not try it yourself?

Finding Old Books . . .

Dave and Val Taylor
Wilanson, Blackberry Lane, Lapford, Devon, EX17 6LY  Tel:  07792 592068
blackberrylane.co.uk@gmail.com   http://www.blackberrylane.co.uk      See ‘What’s New?’ Page for more contact details
The Blackberry Lane Blog            @Blackberry_Lane

. . .  and downloading others . . .

We are all in favour of real books but sometimes it makes sense to download a PDF, especially of books that are classics and out of print and even abebooks can’t find them!

There are lots of places to look, but one of the best we have found is the Soil and Health Library, based in Australia.  It has a real treasure store of classic and more modern books on agriculture – and lots more!  
It was here that we found The Survival of Civilisation  (John Hamaker & Don Weaver, 1982) and  To Love and Regenerate the Earth (Don Weaver, 2002), which started us off on our interest in using finely-ground volcanic rock dust to improve soil quality and help to combat climate change.  
Another classic on the same theme is Bread from Stones  (Dr Julius Hensel, c. 1894 !!)  
Don Weaver has written another book, which Dave has just started reading, Regenerate the Earth (2011).  Subtitled ‘Nature’s Call to Remineralize Our Soil, Re-Green Our Land, Rescue Our Climate and Restore Our Health’