Don't let the magisterial title of this large volume, part of the Garden Club of America's ongoing series, put you off. The authors have provided a marvelous compendium of alternatives to the hardy perennials of American garden shrubs: rhododendrons, forsythias, and yews. Here are hundreds of lesser-known shrubs (along with the common varieties, of course), each presented with a photograph and a brief, authoritative text. Arranged alphabetically, the book includes a set of appendices categorizing all the cultivars by pest and disease resistance, soil preference, shade tolerance, and several other factors. This is a book that no comprehensive gardening library can be without.