Reviews of 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden (Smith & Hawken)

Excellent resource for tomato growers and a great introduction to heirloom varieties and growing from seed. Everyone I've shown this book to has been impressed. It only covers 100 popular types of the thousands of varieties now available, but it is representative of the spectrum of tomatoes which can be found and grown. Carolyn's extensive personal experience with tomatoes and with these varieties really makes this book something special.

An excellent, book with photographs that are both beautiful and realistic. I only wish that I had purchased the book before I bought my last round of tomato seeds, as there are now several additional varieties I want to try.

Highly recommended.

Indeed a beautifully photographed book for tomatoe lovers. Kind of odd size for the book, but don't let that dissaude you from picking up the book. The book is a keeper. The book is heavy duty glossy paper, just right for thumbing thru again and again. Each tomatoe is provided with a sharp full page color photo showing the tomatoe and its leaves. The opposite page gives good details of the tomato, history, type, productivity, etc. I like this format for the book. I find myself constantly going back to look and read thru this book on tomatoes every season. I find this to be a great book for beginner heirloom tomatoe gardeners like me and have added it to my reference books on gardening. Thank you to the author and photographer for this beautiful informative book.

As a relative newomer to gardening in my retirement, this book opened my eyes to the wonderfully varied heirloom tomatoes hardly mentioned in most commercial catalogs. Dr. Male's enthusiasum and expertise come through in every chapter and she provides just enough detail on growing seedlings to ensure success without becoming boring. The best part of the book is the guide to 100 selected varieties, of many different shapes, sizes and habits. Unfortunately I don't have room for all the mouth-watering strains she describes, but I'm certainly going to plant as many as I can next spring!

This is a beautiful book with excellent information. It is a great first hand source of information to help you pick which heirloom tomatoes you want to grow in your own garden. The gorgeous pictures show you exactly what to expect from each type. I am very pleased with my purchase and I definitely recommend adding this to your reference shelf, you won't regret it.

This is the book that started my tomato growing passion. Dr. Carolyn Male is considered by many the "Queen Bee" when it comes to tomato knowledge. You'll refer to this book over and over again.

this book is very helpful for any home gardener plus being interesting meny things in this book are brough to light that my wife and i did not know thanks carol

I borrowed this book from the library and it was wonderful and gave information I needed for cultivation and more!

The only problem is that Mrs. Male dosent have more books!

Really helpful, and I now want to try ALL the tomatos listed. A great book, the photographs are beautiful, the text is interesting and enjoyable to read.

In the first 42 pages Carolyn covers what it took me 40 years to learn, plus many things that I did not know. A great book and a must read for any tomato grower.

I bought this book after reading about it in the Tomato Forum. I was not disappointed. Great info, great pics. I wish I had had it before ordering my seeds this year. I've already made my (long) list for next year. Thanks Carolyn!

Great book, great photography, great information. I consider this book the bible for the tomato grower and I have read it several times as I always keep it in arms reach of my easy chair.

After reading the love-fest here on this book I do want to comment that I just purchased this book and NONE of the heirlooms that I am interested in growing are listed in it. Obviously you can list everything but most of the ones I see offered for sale locally and seeds available via catalog in the Pacific NW are not even in this book. I wish I had not purchased it.

The pictures of those tomotoes listed are great and it is in a helpful shape to carry around.

This book was obviously a labor of love for the author. Carolyn Male has presented the information in this book in a very readable format that novices will understand and seasoned tomato growers can find useful.

Simply a 'must have' for any tomato lover, whether you do heirlooms or hybrids. This book has information about the 'how to' part, as well as the wonderful histories of the heirlooms that Carolyn so loves.

While this book may not delve deeply into actual tomato culture, it gives a thorough overview about sowing seeds, raising plants, saving seed and recognizing and preventing disease. The primary purpose is to introduce readers to the wonderful world of heirloom tomatoes.

She has written it in a style that is easy to read and handy for reference also. The color images of each tomato make a lovely rainbow of the options available to tomato fans who wish to grow something a bit different. She leaves very little unsaid, even describing the various flavors of each tomato.

My dog-eared copy stays at my desk, even though I know it by heart. I go back to it repeatedly, whether I'm looking for something specific, or just want a 'tomato fix' in January. This book is a classic that should belong in every vegetable gardener’s library.

Carolyn is one of our valued members here at Dave’s Garden and graciously offers advice to the folks who visit the Tomato Forum. We appreciate the time that she puts in to patiently answering questions and helping gardeners discover the satisfaction of raising unique and mouth-watering tomatoes. We are proud that she chooses to be a part of our on-line family.

Carolyn Male is the most knowledgable person I've ever encountered when it comes to growing tomatoes.

Whether you are a novice tomato grower, or a seasoned heirloom tomato grower, this book is a must have.

This book is a wealth of information about heirloom tomatoes, and tomatoes in general. The mouth watering photos are an added plus!

Love this... It has become a coffee table book at our home. I was actually taking a Drivers Ed class (got a ticket) and was sort of surrepticiously reading this under the table for the 1000th time and a Chef in the class approached me... looks like Ill be sending him a bunch of heirlooms this year. The photos are fantastic and I like the way the book feels like a field guide. There is no one (and I have a ton of heriloom gardening books) that knows her varieties and teh pros and cons of each like Carolyn. If I could just find it's equivalent in a peppers book life would be complete.

I, too, mark this book high on the "must have" list.

You'll enjoy this book as soon as you pick it up. From Origins of the Tomato, Seed Sowing, Diseases, Pollination (plus other topics too numerous to list here), to the 100 heirlooms and finishing up with the appendix you'll find loads of interesting reading.

After adding this one to your library you'll want to seek out more books that have Carolyn Male's name on them!

I purchased this a couple of years ago, after another year of thinking my heirlooms just weren't ripening correctly. Oh, I should have had this in my library before growing any of the colored heirlooms! It would have saved all those wasted 'maters that I thought weren't doing well.

This is a lovely book! The photographs are just gorgeous and have made this an invaluable resource! I enjoy Carolyn's engaging style of writing, making it an enjoyable read. Her comments and instructions are very infomative and have given me much to think about and try with my own plants.

If you don't have this one in your tomato or heirloom library, hurry and make a bee-line to your favorite bookstore. It's a must have!