The Book of Pot Pourri: Fragrant Flower Mixes for Scenting & Decorating the Home

Penny Black, The Book of Pot Pourri: Fragrant Flower Mixes for Scenting & Decorating the Home. Cape Town & Johannesburg: Human & Rousseau, 1994.

Hard cover, 29 x 22 cm, 128 pages, lavishly illustrated in colour.

Very slight wear at the head and tail of the spine, owner's name on the half-title-page. Very good condition.

Originally published in the U.K. by Dorling Kindersley in association with the National Trust.

'Throughout my childhood, which was spent in the English countryside, I enjoyed, and was fascinated by, the scents of the wild flowers and, of course, those of the fragrant old roses, flowers, and herbs that grew around our little thatched cottage. I never passed lad's love without tweaking a leaf, nor could I resist lemon balm and mint. Floppy old roses were crammed into jars and placed beside my bed. All my childhood memories are embalmed with the gentle perfumes of our garden and those of the surrounding hedgerow's, meadows, and woods. However, nobody mentioned pot pourri to me and I did not really become aware of such a thing until I visited the American Museum at Claverton Manor, near Bath. The beautiful bowls of pot pourri on display there opened a whole new world to me, and I left with an obsessive interest in the subject that was to change the course of my life.'