Apples and the Art of Detection: Tracking Down, Identifying and Preserving Rare Apples

by John Bunker, 407 pages, 8½x11, softcover. I’ve been listening to John Bunker talk about apples for as long as I can remember. The old varieties and why we should rescue them, the Johnny Appleseeds of America, and the shocking truth that you can’t plant an apple seed and expect to get the same apple (gasp!). Because I’m an editor, I had the honor of contributing to my brother’s masterpiece: Apples and the Art of Detection. I realized right away that this book, brilliantly framed as a Sherlock Holmes detective story, belongs not only on the shelf of anyone interested in apples; it is also for those who want to learn about the old-timey experts behind the scenes. In other words, John’s mentors. We are introduced to these salt-of-the-earth characters and their apple orchards, and we fall in love with all of them. As a layperson, I especially enjoyed those sections, but I was also impressed with the precision and eloquence with which the science is presented. Apples and the Art of Detection has photographs and artwork galore, and is beautifully illustrated by the author himself. -Emily Bunker