| Birth Name: | David Gerald Hessayon |
| Birth Date: | 13 February 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Manchester |
| Nationality: | British |
| Known For: | "Expert Guides" |
| Children: | 2 |
| Occupation: | Author, botanist |
David Gerald Hessayon OBE (born 1928) is a British author and botanist of Cypriot descent who is known for a best-selling series of paperback gardening manuals known as the "Expert Guides" under his title Dr. D. G. Hessayon. The series started in 1958 with Be Your Own Gardening Expert and in 2008 it celebrated its 50th anniversary and the 50 millionth copy in print.[1] They have become the best selling gardening books in history.[2]
Hessayon is the son of a Cypriot landowner and grew up in Salford, Lancashire, England. He gained a Bachelor of Science degree in botany from Leeds University. In 1950, he travelled to the United States where he worked as the editor of a small town newspaper. In 1953, he went to the Gold Coast as a Research Fellow at the University College before returning to Manchester to obtain his doctorate in soil ecology. In 1955, he accepted a position as chief scientist with Pan Britannica Industries Ltd (PBI), becoming chairman in 1972. It was whilst working for PBI that Dr. Hessayon formulated the idea for his "Expert" guides to gardening.
A steady stream of publications followed the initial Be Your Own Gardening Expert, each maintaining the basic formula of down-to-earth writing broken up into short sections with headers, and illustrated with what were at the time lavish numbers of colour photographs, graphic images and charts. In later editions the Be Your Own ...Expert titles were changed to The ... Expert. On the British bestsellers list for the 1980s, two Experts were in the Top 10. There are over 20 "Expert" titles in 22 languages and in Britain their sales continue to dominate the gardening paperback lists.[3] The Vegetable & Herb Expert [4] continues to be the best seller.
In 1993, Hessayon received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement award at the British Book Awards. He was also awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1992 for his contribution to the advancement and improvement of the science and practice of horticulture. In 1999, he was awarded a Guinness World Records certificate for being Britain's "bestselling non-fiction author of the 1990s".
Despite a resolve to stay out of the limelight,[5] Hessayon has received further awards - a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Garden Media Guild,[6] three honorary doctorates [7] and, in 2007, an OBE.
Since 1959, Hessayon has written many books.
| Year published | ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Potato Growers Handbook (with P G Fenemore) | 1961 | ||
| Silage Makers' Handbook (with Christopher Hugh Wood) | 1962 | ||
| The Garden Book of Europe | 1973 | ||
| The Armchair Book of the Garden | 1983 | ||
| The Bio Friendly Gardening Guide | 1990 | ||
| The Bedside Book of the Garden | 2008 |
| Year published | ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Be your own Gardening Expert | 1959 | ||
| Be your own Gardening Expert (republished) | 1961 | ||
| Be your own Gardening Expert | 1959 | ||
| Be your own Gardening Expert (republished) | 1961 | ||
| Be your own House Plant Expert | 1961 | ||
| Be your own House Plant Expert (revised) | 1967 | ||
| Be your own Lawn Expert | 1961 | ||
| Be your own Lawn Expert (revised) | 1968 | ||
| Be your own Rose Expert (with Harry Wheatcroft) | 1965 | ||
| Vegetable Plotter | 1976 | ||
| Be your own House Plant Spotter (with J. P. Hessayon) | 1977 | ||
| Be your own Vegetable Doctor | 1978 | ||
| Be your own Garden Doctor | 1978 | ||
| The House Plant Expert | 1980 | ||
| The Rose Expert | 1981 | ||
| The Cereal Disease Expert | 1982 | ||
| The Lawn Expert | 1982 | ||
| The Lawn Expert (reprinted) | 1988 | ||
| The Lawn Expert (reprinted) | 1990 | ||
| The Tree & Shrub Expert | 1983 | ||
| The Tree & Shrub Expert (reprinted) | 1992 | ||
| The Tree & Shrub Expert (reprinted) | 1994 | ||
| The Tree & Shrub Expert (reprinted) | 2012 | ||
| The Flower Expert | 1984 | ||
| The Flower Expert (reprinted) | 1994 | ||
| The Indoor Plant Spotter | 1985 | ||
| The Garden Expert | 1986 | ||
| The Garden Expert (reprinted) | 1997 | ||
| The Gold-Plated House Plant Expert | 1987 | ||
| The Home Expert | 1987 | ||
| Rose Jotter | 1989 | ||
| Vegetable Jotter | 1989 | ||
| Be your own Greenhouse Expert | 1990 | ||
| The Bedding Plant Expert | 1991 | ||
| The Bedding Plant Expert (reprinted) | 1995 | ||
| The New House Plant Expert | 1991 | ||
| The Vegetable Expert | 1985 | ||
| The Vegetable Expert (reprinted) | 1993 | ||
| The Garden DIY Expert | 1992 | ||
| The Rock & Water Garden Expert | 1993 | ||
| The Flower Arranging Expert | 1994 | ||
| The Flowering Shrub Expert | 1994 | ||
| The Greenhouse Expert | 1994 | ||
| The Bulb Expert | 1995 | ||
| The Container Expert | 1995 | ||
| The Container Expert (reprinted) | 1998 | ||
| The Easy-care Garden Expert | 1996 | ||
| The New Rose Expert | 1996 | ||
| The New Bedding Plant Expert | 1996 | ||
| The New Lawn Expert | 1997 | ||
| The New Vegetable & Herb Expert | 1997 | ||
| The New Vegetable & Herb Expert (revised) | 2014 | ||
| The Evergreen Expert | 1998 | ||
| The New Flower Expert | 1999 | ||
| The Pocket Flower Expert | 2001 | ||
| The Pocket Garden Troubles Expert | 2001 | ||
| The Pocket Tree & Shrub Expert | 2001 | ||
| The Pocket House Plant Expert | 2002 | ||
| The Pocket Vegetable Expert | 2002 | ||
| The Home DIY Expert | 2003 | ||
| The Fruit Expert | 1990 | ||
| The Fruit Expert (reprinted) | 2003 | ||
| The Garden Revival Expert | 2004 | ||
| The House Plant Expert - Book Two | 2005 | ||
| The Pest and Weed Expert | 2007 | ||
| The Orchid Expert | 2008 | ||
| The Orchid Expert (republished) | 2010 | ||
| The Green Garden Expert | 2009 | ||
| The Expert Vegetable Notebook | 2009 | ||
| The Best of Experts | 2010 | ||
| The Garden to Kitchen Expert (Judith Wills with D.G. Hessayon) | 2011 | ||
| The Complete Garden Expert | 2012 | ||
| The Indoor Plant & Flower Expert | 2013 | ||
| The New Fruit Expert | 2015 |