The Caxton Press, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2007, hardback in good condition.

This is the story of a remarkable life: a Marlborough identity and a nationally recognised horticulturalist. Ralph Bollinger looks back over ninety-two years and his association with the sea and the soil, which he considers the two basic foundations for life, and how these along with the people he met have influenced his life. Ralph relates his experienc in the Royal Navy during the turbulent early yeras of World War II before being transferred to advise on the drive for food production in wartime Britain. Ralph, and his wife Pat, then moe to a ten hectare property in Blenheim, New Zealand, where he describes the growing of 82 different crops before the land finally becomes the site for a technical institute and wine research centre. His experiences include: being New Zealand's only ever licensed morphine poppy grower, exporting 'Ballingers New Zealand Asparagus', becoming the best-selling author of 'Vegetable Growing in New Zealand', 'Fruit Gardening in New Zelaand' and 'Flower Gardening in New Zealand'. Ralph's love of the sea and the soil run through the book and he philosophises over our role in these surroundings and stresses the urgent need for society to take a more responsible approach in the care of our environment.