Dr Hessayon is honoured with OBE and upgrades pest and weed title in 2007
'The Pest & Weed Expert gives an up-to-date picture of a changing scenario – some pests in the British Isles, for instance, have only been around for a year or two, while certain pesticides were recently banned.'
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| The decorated Doctor
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Hessayon appointed OBE
Dr D G Hessayon, celebrated author of the
Expert series of gardening books, achieved further success in 2007 when he was appointed an OBE in the New Year's honours list, announced January, and his updated version of
The Pest & Weed Expert was published in April.
The famous, but elusive, author has also been awarded the prestigious Horace Hagedorn Award for services to the garden industry, voted for by members of the Garden Centres Association (GCA).
Dr Hessayon commented: 'When TV garden makeovers and the internet burst on the scene, the general thought was that the day of the book was over. How nice that a simple series of books like Expert have gone from strength to strength and been honored with this award.'
The Pest & Weed Expert
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| New title reflects changing times
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The Pest & Weed Expert gives an up-to-date picture of a changing scenario – some pests in the British Isles, for instance, have only been around for a year or two, while certain pesticides were recently banned.
Lily beetle, vine weevil and rosemary beetle are just three of the pests tackled in the book. Recognition charts show how to identify the real troublemakers, with correct and safe treatments listed. There's also advice on techniques (including non-chemical) for tackling weeds. It costs £7.99 from all good bookshops.
Expert series: the history
1959:
The first title
Be Your Own Gardening Expert is published and becomes the bestselling gardening book of the year. Every year thereafter, to the present time, an
Expert scoops top sales in gardening books.
1980s:
Two titles –
The House Plant Expert and
The Tree & Shrub Expert – make the list of Top 10 Bestselling Books of the decade.
1999:
The influence of the
Experts in British life leads to the author being listed as one of the 500 most powerful people in Britain in the
Sunday Times 1999 Power List. Dr Hessayon also receives a Guinness World Record Certificate as the bestselling living author of the 1990s.
The New Flower Expert is named in The Guardian's Fastseller List as the top-selling gardening paperback of the year.
2000:
In the gardening bestsellers list three
Expert titles appear in the top five, and six in the top 10, with one title clinching the top spot.
2006:
The Vegetable and Herb Expert becomes the nation's bestselling gardening paperback. Additionally, eight of the top 10 gardening titles come from the series.
2007:
Dr Hessayon is appointed an OBE in the New Year's honours list, announced January. An updated version of
The Pest & Weed Expert is published in response to the changing climate, how it affects the behaviour of pests and weeds and different types now emerging in the UK.
Today:
The
Experts have sold over 49 million copies worldwide and there are 23 titles in the range. Little is written about the author in the books themselves.
More to come
2008 will see the launch of more
Expert titles, including the
Orchid Expert expected to go on sale in April. We'll keep you posted on this site.
For a full list of Expert books published by Transworld Publishers, a division of the Random House Group, click here.
* Gardening.co.uk members: each month two members who make a notable contribution to the Forum will win three Expert books of their choice.
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