Herefordshire Pomona facts for kids
The Herefordshire Pomona is a very special book from the 1800s. It's like a huge picture book and guide to all the different kinds of apples and pears grown in Herefordshire, England. This book was one of the first big efforts to list and describe every type of English fruit. People even call it a "classic" book about nature from that time. Only 600 copies were ever printed, so original books are very rare and expensive today.
Contents
What is the Herefordshire Pomona?
The word "Pomona" comes from the name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards. So, the Herefordshire Pomona is basically a detailed catalogue of fruits. It focuses on the many varieties of apples and pears found in the county of Herefordshire.
Why Was This Book Created?
In the late 1800s, a group called the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club in Hereford started holding yearly shows for local apples and pears. Club members were worried. Even though Herefordshire was famous for its fruit orchards, they noticed that many of the best apple varieties were not being sold in shops. They feared these special fruits might disappear forever.
Who Made This Amazing Book?
To save these fruit varieties, the club asked two important people for help.
- Dr. Robert Hogg was a Vice-President of the Royal Horticultural Society. He was also an expert on fruits and had written his own book called The Fruit Manual.
- Dr. Henry Graves Bull was a local doctor and a former leader of the Woolhope club.
Together, Dr. Hogg and Dr. Bull carefully described and catalogued all the fruits shown at the annual events.
The book also needed beautiful pictures. Two talented artists worked for eight years to create these illustrations.
- Alice Blanche Ellis
- Edith Elizabeth Bull, who was Dr. Henry Bull's daughter.
They painted detailed watercolours of the different fruits. They also drew the buds, blossoms, and even the plant diseases that affected them.
How the Book Was Published
The Herefordshire Pomona was first released in seven separate parts. The first part came out in 1878, and the last one in 1884. Each part included 441 original watercolours. These paintings were turned into hand-coloured pictures using a special printing method called lithography. A company in Belgium named G. Severeyns did this work.
Once all seven parts were finished, they were collected into one big book. It was published by Jakeman & Carver. The full title was The Herefordshire Pomona Containing Original Figures and Descriptions of the Most Esteemed Kinds of Apples and Pears. Only 600 copies were printed. They had special green covers with fancy designs. Today, these original books are highly sought after. They can sell for over £10,000! Luckily, you can now find the information from the book on a CD for a much lower price.
