In and Out of the Garden

by Sara Midda

Sara Midda's richly illustrated In and Out of the Garden has delighted readers and critics alike. Diana Vreeland praised it as "delightful and delicious," and Laura Ashley called it "pure inspiration."

The most elegant and subtle of books to give and to have, it evokes the English gardens of Sara Midda's childhood, sowing the imagination with glorious images. Dozens and dozens of illustrations and tender reflections recall a hut in the wood, or a topiary maze, a summer day spent podding peas, or an herb patch that yields Biblical fragrances. Ruby-red radishes are the jewels of the underworld. Myriad colors fall upon warm green moss. Painted with Sara Midda's fine brush, it is a book of lasting enchantment.

Genres: Gardening, Art, Nature, Nonfiction, Design, British Literature, Adult

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Hilary]

This is such a lovely book, a sort of garden almanac of plants, vegetables, fruit, seeds, garden folklore, sayings, herb uses and recipes. Absolutely beautiful watercolour illustrations, the pages have been designed in a design conscious way and it's a pleasure to flick through or read cover to cover.

A downside for me was that a lot of the book is in minute detail, the pictures and the text, so reading this at night was difficult. We put up the hammock in our vegetable garden and in bright sunlight not only was it easier to see what's happening it was the ideal setting for reading this book. I don't know if it is just our copy but even with bright sunlight a young pair of eyes did struggle to read some of the pale green tiny text, but on the other hand the tiny pictures are fascinating in a way too, and their size does draw you into the picture a bit like looking into a dolls house or model railway scene.

A beautiful book, ideal for those with a love of gardens to look through on a sunny day.

[Sofi]

Este libro no puede ser mas divino. En algun momento voy a sacarle fotocopias y plotear sus dibujos para decorar mi casa, es simplemente encantador

[Kirsty]

What an absolute delight! I loved the beautiful illustrations, the mixed media, and the thought that has early gone into every single layout. This is a delightful little almanac, and I am looking forward to revisiting it when I have a garden of my own.

[Nikol]

It is hard for me to rate this book because the illustrations and content are marvelous, but the actual presentation is the pits. Clearly this book should be printed on a much, much larger scale - like a coffee table book. Instead it's a tiny little thing, so it's very difficult to read any of the pages. There also seems to be an abundance of blank white space around the illustrations. Why not enlarge the illustrations and text to make it more legible? It's such a shame that the book was printed like this, because it would really be a lovely, extraordinary addition to a gardner's (or book lover's!) library otherwise.

[Dottie]

Her first(?) book I think and as delightful as the eother of hers which I've read several times and spend time browsing about in from time to time -- it's just that the lovely little watercolor illustrations and the details of the text are such a restful and refreshing experience that one lingers within the pages. And this review is sadly lacking what I initailly typed in and then lost in some process or other. A delightful respite of a book to which I will return as I have with the previously read volume. I am seriously a fan of Midda's little gems.

[Mir]

Lovely details, but unfortunately reproduced so small they are hard on the eyes. Wish they'd made larger copies and skipped the "arty" extra-large margins.

[Katie]

In and Out of the Garden was written by Sara Midda and published in 1981. This is a delightful ode to gardening with fantastic little watercolors.

This was so visually appealing, but also interesting for those that are into gardening. There was some lore around certain plants and history as well.

I greatly enjoyed this and will be revisiting it time and again I am sure.

[Nux]

This book looses a lot of stars from me because it just confuses me on what it's trying to do... Doesn't tell a story, just a jumble of drawings, musings, the odd recipes and quotes... the texts are small and rather pale prints, not the easiest to read either.
I can't say I don't like it, though... the drawings are nice enough, I remember I was crazy about this type of drawings when I was younger.
What went through my head when I flipped through this, was that some of the drawings would make some real nice motives or backgrounds for decorative letter paper (kertas surat) that I used to collect and trade with my girlfriends when I was a little girl...

[reading is my hustle]

"What was paradise, but a garden..."

The inside of the book flap reads: "This is an exquisite potpourri of garden lore painted in minute, jewel-like detail." I could not have said it better. Read this book for garden thoughts and tips, proverbs, recipes, and poems.

Tea in the garden to be taken at four, if the sun does shine- and the rain doesn't pour. Cucumber sandwiches, cowslip cream; strawberry ice and fresh lemonade, pale china tea all out in the shade. And if there's room, do not forsake at least one slice of homemade cake.

Sigh.

[Angela]

Gorgeous! Full of tiny, beautiful watercolor illustrations and lettering. So impressive.

[Evie]

It's more of an aesthetic/art book, something to set on a coffee table for people to enjoy. The words are part of the art, and are very small and difficult to read. Take it as something beautiful to have around for guests or at a tea, perhaps. Its country style, all done in watercolors, is very pretty.

[Femke]

Such a beautiful and cute little book! For me this book wasn't really meant to read. I bought it because I thought the illustrations were amazing and it had a nice aesthetic. However, the font was so tiny that the book was very hard to read.

[Margarita]

Such a treasure! This book is so beautifully illustrated and full of garden lore it will make you feel the world is a beautiful place.

[Kris]

The intricate art work and garden sayings are very enticing. I loved this book. Too bad the print is so small.

[Sara]

I loved this book. Sara Midda has created a beautiful little gem, a true inspiration for creative journaling.

[Lisa Vegan]

Beautiful, delicate, multiple miniature paintings of garden contents and gardening. I especially love the little section on herbs: descriptions of herbs with tiny little paintings of each one alongside. She’s a talented artist and seems to know her gardening as well. Very British. Have enjoyed this book ever since it came out 26 years ago. Whenever I pull it out to peruse it, the paintings always make me smile.

Merged review:

recommended for:
anyone who loves art and/or loves gardens or gardening

Beautiful, delicate, multiple miniature paintings of garden contents and gardening. I especially love the little section on herbs: descriptions of herbs with tiny little paintings of each one alongside. She’s a talented artist and seems to know her gardening as well. Very British. Have enjoyed this book ever since it came out 26 years ago. Whenever I pull it out to peruse it, the paintings always make me smile.

[Christina]

A very attractive book with delicate, tiny illustrations. I like Midda's whimsical style of art. However I had a lot of difficulty reading, and therefore enjoying, this. While the physical book is a decent size, the text is small. Add to that handwritten font, and that the text is printed in multiple colors and shades that fade into one another. It's too difficult to read to enjoy. The art is often tiny as well. I also didn't strongly connect with the text I did read.

I skimmed through this as part of my "weeding my gardening books." While I can't see myself ever actually wanting to read it, it is very pretty to flip through.

Verdict: Keep, for now....

Update: After further consideration, as pretty as this book is, it's just too hard to read, and the illustrations are often too small to enjoy. I think I can send this out to find a more appreciative reader.

[Fiona]

A book for lovers of water color and gardening. Or just visiting gardens, sitting in them, and/or remembering them. Some of the pictures are quite small, but beautiful none-the-less. Very good for those that have memories of gardens and love a sort of country way of living. I live a bit rural/suburban and found myself doubly glad I made the move out of a more populated area. It brought a sense of appreciation and it brought back memories of parents and grandparents who were more industrious gardeners than I have become. A breath of fresh air and a further inspiration to do all possible to reverse global heating.

[Gail DiVico]

I had this little book on my book shelf for a couple of years. This past month I finally decided to go through it page by page - I am really glad I did. My only complaint was that I needed to put on my glasses (LOL)!. This book contains so much information about gardening how to pick fruits and veggies, there are recipes to prepare from the produce, poems and just so much to look at. The illustrations are great! Love them! There are also pics of garden landscapes. I felt as though I was reading something out of the secret garden! If you haven't read this, I encourage you to do so. Kudos to the author.

[Dyslexic Bookmonster]

I found this gorgeously illustrated book in my mother's bookcase. The illustrations are breathtaking, very intriguing, inspirational, there is a lot of out-of-the-box-thinking and just wow! Also the poems and information given about the plants, fruits, herbs, gardening and all that jazz is just superb. It makes me smile and just... I have never had a book about gardening, that was actually a book about art, which was filled with poems that are in fact informative about the whole of gardening. This book is special.

I have only one question: why did everything have to be so tiny?

[Giang Tran]

The illustration of the book is marvelous, but the text was printed in hand writing font with dim colors made it so difficult to be read.
The content was delightful and inspiring, but contains very few practical information about gardening.

[L]

Simply delightful watercolors depicting miniature loveliness of the English Country Gardener. It was like a box of very rich chocolates where only a few bites would do, and then a long sit of reflection was necessary. Beautiful!

[Shiloah]

A book for the gardener. Memorabilia, tidbits, history, and exquisite pictures, especially the pictures. It’s a delightful jaunt in honoring the garden and its bounty.
Note: read with your reading glasses! The font is minuscule.

[Linda Matson]

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because it is so absolutely difficult to fully enjoy the art and wisdom written in the pages. I have to magnify the pages myself to see what is here. And that is a shame, as it is a gorgeous presentation. Why so tiny, Sara Midda??

[Sandy]

This should have been a delightful book to read but the print was so small it made it near impossible to see the words. I loved that it was all hand drawn and I loved the pictures but the whole point is to read and you just couldn't see the words.

[Pauline Fattuhi]

This is one of the most delightful books on my shelves but I can only give it 4 stars because I really struggled with the small and pale print. Everything is so intricate. An edition printed in A4 size would enable me to read it all.

[Ann]

Very artistic and very minute drawings and paintings ditto lettering. One needs a magnifying glass to really appreciate the details of her work. Beautifully done but too tiny to really appreciate.

[LindaS-AvidForAudio]

I sought out multiple copies of this exquisitely illustrated book so that I could frame a selection of my favorite pages. Delicate, detailed, charming. Inspiring especially in winter.

[SonataReader]

Lovely! A fine addition to my collection of illustrated books.

[Jennie]

Bought this more for decor than to read, but it was difficult to read because the font was so tiny. Pretty artwork.