A companion volume to Redoute's Fairest Flowers this book traces the origins and history of the botanically accurate fruit painted by the 19th century illustrator, William Hooker, on commission by the Horticultural Society of London. Some of the paintings re-appeared in contemporary books of engravings and reproductions in anthologies and calendars have since made them world famous. Reproduced almost to the original size the engravings portray with botanical accuracy an assortment of fruits, plums, apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, cherries, mulberries, nectarines and many more. It also discusses the fruit's horticulture and influence on modern varieties and contributes an introduction to the life and work of William Hooker.