Hello Jane,

I guess most of us have catholic tastes when it comes
to rose books, but here is my list of the ones that I
would look for it if I didn't have them:

All of Peter Beales books, in particular for growers
of HTs, Twenty Century Roses.

The Charm of old roses by Nancy Steen published by
Herbert Jenkins in London which I am not sure is
available here, mine is an old copy I got in the UK.
(Alibris may have it though)

Roses by Gertrude Jekyll and Edward Mawley
with an intro by Graham S. Thomas himself. A
great little book that I find myself reading time
and again. Also by Ms. Jekyll another favorite of
mine "The Gardener's Essential". (I believe there
are two versions and my favorite is the one selected
and with an introduction by Elizabeth Lawrence)

The Glory of Roses by Allen Lacy, when it came
out in 1990 - during the years of the coffee table
books that Stewart, Tabori & Chang were famous
for - everyone thought I was crazy for buying it.
No "serious" collector would fall for the pretty
pictures! Love that book. It has been used to
death around here, sound comments and even
more daring approach than some would have
risked in the early nineties to put forth. If you
can find it, make it the only book you "must" buy.
A source of beauty and a joy forever. You can
quote me.

For their sheer amount of useful information
The Ultimate Rose Book by Peter McHoy,
The Rose Expert by Dr. D.G. Hessayon,
The Fragrant Year by Helen Van Pelt Wilson
and Leonie Bell.

On the more studious side, I love my Prince's
Manual of Roses; How to grow roses (1937
edition) by J.Horace McFarland and Robert
Pyle; John Fisher's The Companion to Roses;
The Complete Book of Roses, by John Mattock
et all, from the UK. It may be available around
here.

Hennessey on Roses because he was so down to
earth (and blooming opinionated but for a good cause)
that is worth to learn some things out of the common
stream of knowledge about roses from him.

Rosa Gallica and Rosa Rugosa both by Suzy Verrier,
excellent books with good photos to identify the elusive
ones that sometimes appear in the garden under a
pretended name ;)

Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix "Old Roses" because
is just about the only "honest" book where the warts
are warts and the "beauty marks" are beauties.
By them also "Roses" (The Random House book of
Roses) for just about the same reasons.

Mark Mattock "Roses for the smaller garden", because
although it uses many of the already tried and true
ones, it has a fresh approach to some that is worth
reviewing.

And just because I can stare mesmerized at the shot
of Rosa x centifolia "Cristata" on page 35, what in
my opinion is the ultimate in rose photography:
"Roses, Old Roses and Species Roses" by Paul Starosta
and Eleonore Cruse. Not to speak of the others that
simply take your breath away. Scholarly but easy on
both the eye and the brain. The first edition of the
book is from Editions du Chêne- Hachette Livre-Roses
but I know there is an English version. This book should
be a must in every rose lover's shelf.

So, here you have it, some of my favorites, and if you
want to look for any of them check Alibris that seems
to every once in a while have the right book at the right
time (as if there is a wrong time for a book about roses ;)

Allegra