Henry Mitchell wrote for the Washington Post from the early 1970s to 1991. He was best known for his gardening columns, some of which have been gathered in two beloved books, The Essential Earthman and One Man's Garden. In addition to his gardening columns, Mr. Mitchell also wrote feature stories and for years had a general interest column that appeared on Fridays under the title Any Day. This book collects the most enduring of those brilliant columns. Henry Mitchell was a bit of a curmudgeon. He had an eye for cant and an even sharper eye for the deeper truths of reality. Never pompous, his columns were frequently hilarious. He could make you cry, he could make you weep and he could catch you up in the midst of a busy, confusing day and make you pause and reflect: Hey, look at this! He will make you feel good about being a flawed human, and he will even make you think that mortality isn't so bad. Readers who have enjoyed The Essential Earthman and One Man's Garden will thrill to discover their favorite author's additional accomplishments as they are represented in this lovely book. The illustrations are by Susan Davis, a gifted Maryland artist whose work accompanied many of Henry's columns during the 1980s and 1990s. The late Washington Post gardening columnist by no means limited his subjects to bugs, bites, or the burgeoning splendors of earthly matters. In addition to those columns, which had--before his death in 1993--garnered him a national following, Mitchell wrote many stories, essays, and commentaries on the state of the world. They ran in the Post every Friday under the title "Any Day." The 75 essays presented in this collection have been culled from that column and are organized chronologically from December 29, 1973, to April 12, 1991. Beyond his gracious style, Henry Mitchell's enduring charm was his broad range of interests--primarily humanity's triumphs, miseries, and foibles. From ruminations about prudence (focusing on the consumption of eggnog) to his disclosure--and defense--of being a junk-food addict; from the "current" state of the country to "Lincoln, Mozart and the Mysteries of Art" ("I shall not explain either Lincoln or Cosi fan tutte , but for years I have thought before dozing off on great matters such as the central mystery of art."). In the compelling tradition of essay-writing, Mitchell's subjects leap toward larger truths, lovingly observed and handsomely rendered. Written by one who had an ear for cant and a sharp eye for enduring truth, these poignant, hilariously funny yet wise pieces put human nature on display. Included are precise and endearing illustrations by Maryland artist Susan Davis. This is a stimulating collection of essays by a man who had something to say and knew how to say it well. Mitchell was gardening columnist for the Washington Post for almost 20 years; he also wrote a general-interest column, "Any Day," that appeared on Fridays. This is a collection of the best of those columns. Mitchell, who died in 1993, was acerbic, witty, and occasionally profound. The pieces here range from essays on bus drivers and English food to individual rights and AIDS. Mitchell's gardening columns have also been collected into two volumes: The Essential Earthman (Houghton Mifflin, 1994) and One Man's Garden (LJ 9/1/92). Recommended for general collections.?Rebecca Wondriska, Trinity Coll. Lib., Hartford, Ct. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Henry Mitchell, who died in 1993, was a long–time columnist for the Washington Post and the author of two famous gardening books, The Essential Earthman and One Man's Garden.