An Island Garden

Celia Laighton Thaxter's father built a large hotel on Appledore Island that became a gathering place for literary and artistic greats of New England during the late 19th century. Then in 1928, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Professor of Zoology C. Floyd Jackson opened the first summer Marine Zoological Laboratory on Appledore Island, Isles of Shoals that thrived until 1940 when the federal government took control of the island during World War II. After the war, Appledore Island fell into a period of vandalism until the 1960's when staff and students returned to the island to rebuild the Shoals Marine Laboratory, which included the restoration of the Thaxter Garden. Today, the reconstructed garden is managed true to the historical descriptions and method detailed in Celia's book, "An Island Garden".

This beautiful, near identical re-print of the 1894 edition was considered Thaxter's last and best book with pictures and illuminations by Childe Hassam, also considered by many to be the most beautiful of Hassam career and an important contribution to American Impressionism. The gold stamped cover, which is reproduced in this edition, was designed by Sarah Wyman Whitman. The biggest difference between the 1894 edition and the 1988, is that the paintings and chapter heading were reproduced by chromolithography, an expensive and painstaking process of color printing.

Condition: Both the publisher's original dark teal slipcase with a three-quarter size paste down to the front, the hardcover pale green cloth boards with a gold gilt debossed flower design and title to the front board and spine are in near fine condition. Corners of the slipcase and book are all sharp with no wear or bumping. The binding is straight and tight, hinges are firmly attached with no cracking to the end pagers. Text block is solid with all pages firmly attached. Previous owner inscription and date on the front free endpaper. Interior pages are clean with no tears, no chips, or other previous owner marks.

Celia Laighton Thaxter (1835 – 1894) was a New England writer of poetry, stories, and her own autobiography. She lived most of her life on the Isles of Shoals at the Appledore Hotel and at her later home on Seapoint Beach on Cutts Island, Kittery Point. Today she is best remembered for creating a garden on a windswept piece of ground miles off the coast of Maine/New Hampshire and the documenting of her adventures doing so. "An Island Garden" was first published just months before her sudden death on Appledore Island.

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859 – 1935) was an American Impressionist painter of both urban and coastal scenes. He was instrumental in promulgating Impressionism to American collectors, dealers, and museums. He produced over 3,000 paintings, oils, watercolors, etching, and lithographs over the course of his career and was and influential American artist of the early 20th century.