I need a new fruit/grower book! If you have a book you love, or find yourself returning to over the years, please let me know. Thanks!
A couple that I’ve appreciated:
The Holistic Orchard by Michael Phillips
Fig Trees of the Balearic Islands by Montserrat Pons
Love The Holistic Orchard.
Also love “the Grape Grower” by Lon Rombourg. Those 2 pretty much cover me for books. Otherwise I hit up YouTube for info.
For apples, a couple of classics that I find myself returning to again and again are Lee Calhoun’s Old Southern Apples and Tom Burford’s Apples of North America.
While it’s not a reference, I also enjoyed Frank Browning’s Apples.
This thread will get you on the right track.
I’ve been known to keep this book by my bed for long periods. 
Paradise lot by Eric toensmeier
Just finished that one last month. Wait for a sale at Chelsea Green, they give it for half price at least once a year.
I have Burford’s book. But, in all honesty, I can get almost the same information from the Horne Creek Preservation Orchard’s website for free.
Speaks well of their website. I’ll have to check it out. I appreciate Burford’s experience and opinions, and I suspect Horne Creek’s site benefits from some of Calhoun’s.
Despite the fact that I wrote computer software for forty years, I still like the feel of a real book in my hands, though.
Agree. I appreciate books…something not trendy these days.
That’s why all my books don’t fit in the bookcase.
But, some I never read and may have 5 years of dust, lol.
Indeed, that sounds a lot like my office.
I keep looking at my bookcase wondering where I could pare down. Then there’s nothing I want to get rid of. Today–i bought a new bookcase. Seriously.
I’ve done the same thing, sadly, lol. Bought a new reinforced bookcase to hold the weight of all my books. I tried downsizing my books. I got rid of exactly 5 books. All old textbooks from college.
We currently have a “liquor cabinet” bookshelf that is probably going to begin converting to an actual bookshelf again. Maybe I’ll make room for the books by slowly draining the stockpile 
I have an “apple excyclopedia” of the apples from around the globe.
Problem is, they picture about 400…and none are from China, Russia, Poland, Iran,
none from Africa or South America.
So, it’s claim to be an encyclopedia of apples falls far short. It’s good so far as it goes though. Perhaps 600 or more color photographs are super.
Exactly were my copy is