Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden
by Niki Jabbour, illustrations by Anne Smith, Elayne Sears and Mary Ellen Carsley
Storey Publishing
2014, 272 pages, 8 x 10 x 0.8 inches (softcover)

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Fittingly, the layout of Groundbreaking Food Gardens is similar to a community garden. Within the landscape of this one book, readers find 73 distinct plots, each neatly contained, each with its own character in the beds of text and image. In it, edible gardening expert Niki Jabbour curates 73 thematically diverse illustrated plans contributed by master food growers and writers with unendingly fresh perspectives. Each mini-chapter opens with three or four cornerstones of the design therein, and these points become headers for each section, like garden markers for the reader.

Even the most bibliophilic gardener has to admit, it’s hard to find a good gardening book that says or does something new. But within the first 24 hours of bringing home Groundbreaking Food Gardens, I had filled it with every bit of scrap paper in our bookmark pile. Though more of a design lookbook than a how-to, it still offers plenty of information. Woven throughout the plans, there are both practical tips and historical gardening factoids to appeal to new and seasoned gardeners alike. You wouldn’t use a bean pole to support a squash, and so the scaffolding of each design chapter changes slightly to reflect the 73 unique concepts. Colby Eierman’s “Backyard Orchard” walks you through espaliering a fruit tree while Wendy Kiang-Spray’s “Asian Vegetables” chapter focuses on familiarizing us with 28 varieties of, you guessed it, Asian vegetables. Because each design focuses on a particular interest or challenge (lack of space, lots of space, kid-friendly, wildlife-welcoming, one of everything, all garlic, all the time), I’ve been having fun daydreaming about taking bits and pieces of each plan to fit my particular gardening needs and wants (which are, let’s be honest, all the gardens).

Practically speaking, for those of us who don’t have the time or money to completely transform our outdoor spaces all at once, starting out with Jayme Jenkins’s ingenious “Hanging Gutters” garden or improving current plots with Laura Henderson’s tips on water collecting and succession planting will keep our hands dirty while dreaming of recreating Mac Mead’s half-acre “Biodynamic Farm.” Whether you have a perennial green thumb or just some dirt under your fingernails from the basil on your window sill, you’ll find inspiration in Groundbreaking Food Gardens. – Mk Smith Despres

WORLD OF WARCRAFT CHRONICLE TAKES YOU TO THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE WOW UNIVERSE

World of Warcraft Chronicle
by Blizzard Entertainment, Peter Lee (artist) and Joseph Lacroix (illustrator)
Dark Horse
2016, 184 pages, 9.3 x 12.3 x 0.7 inches

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Real chronicles for imaginary places are nothing new. I’m pretty sure my first one detailed all the secrets of Krynn. But it might have been Pern. Or maybe Thra. It’s hard to remember. And these days, the market boasts a surfeit of atlases, histories, dictionaries, and art books big enough to satisfy even the most die-hard fan.

Dark Horse’s World of Warcraft Chronicle Vol. 1 fills all these roles beautifully. Formatted as a history (hence “chronicle”) the book takes the reader from the very beginning of the WoW universe to a time 45 years before the Dark Portal, when a young boy named Medivh awoke from a long coma…

WoW is famously lore-dense. It is one of the most captivating things about the game for many players. Each new expansion brings new races, new characters - each with their own complete story - as well as new back stories for old favorites. And then, too, WoW has a nifty habit of either adding new locations (and new stories!) or completely destroying the old lands and kingdoms and rebuilding in the same spots for, you guessed it, new stories!

This book is an attempt to corral all those stories into something coherent and readable. Two things help the book achieve its goal: the history is laid out chronologically (chronicle!) and supported by numerous maps and stunning artwork. The maps show the same locations again and again, noting how things have changed since the last time they were presented. And the art…Blizzard’s own Peter Lee illustrated Chronicle with lush paintings that depict key scenes instantly familiar to anyone who has spent time in World of Warcraft.

As a physical object, Chronicle is another in a long line of beautifully constructed books from Dark Horse. The covers are sturdy (and sans jacket, instead having fixed illustrated panels on the front cover) and the paper is heavy enough to survive being leafed through repeatedly without tearing. Likewise, though glossy, the paper resists being smudged or marked by skin oil. The font and typesetting is clear and easy to read. As I said, it is a beautiful book.

With the (hopefully first of many) Warcraft movie set to debut this summer, World of Warcraft, the game, is sure to gain a bunch of new fans as well as see the return of lapsed players like yours truly. This book is the perfect companion piece for those new to Azeroth and those whose recollection may have faltered a little and even those who are already experts because, if nothing else, this book will make you want to take up your sword, climb on your mount, and join the battle. For the Horde! (Alliance!) – Joel Neff

Books That Belong On Paper first appeared on the web as Wink Books and was edited by Carla Sinclair. Sign up here to get the issues a week early in your inbox.