Nearly forty years ago The Old Shrub Roses (1955) brought to public attention the favorite roses of the early nineteenth century, the intensely scented Damasks, the rich and sombre Gallicas, the Albas with their unique combination of elegance and thriftiness - all ancient races rediscovered with the help of nurserymen and aficionados in the United States. Over the following ten years Graham Thomas did the same for other neglected groups. Shrub Roses of Today (1962) identified the species and hybrids from Japan and North America, from English and Scottish hedgerows and from the mountains of China, full of virtues then unrecognized. It also described the roses of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, the Chinas and hybrid Musks redolent of lace-encrusted tea gowns and weekend house parties of the Golden Age. To complete the picture and indicate alternatives to the garish and formless Floribundas, Climbing Roses Old and New (1965) considered ramblers and climbers of more grace and subtlety like 'Adelaide d'Orleans', ideal for a tall archway, or 'Desprez a fleur jaune' now more than 150 years old but still incomparable in covering a large wall with silky blooms and filling the garden with scent twice a year. Graham Stuart Thomas' The Old Shrub Roses was first published in 1955, his Shrub Roses of Today appeared in 1962, and his Climbing Roses Old and New came out in 1965. The three books have now been revised and enlarged for this new compiled edition, and new illustrations have been added along with "Notes on the Origin and Evolution of Our Garden Roses," C. C. Hurst's classic essay on the subject written in 1941. Thomas, now 85, is the author of 15 other garden books and garden adviser to Britain's National Trust. In this luxurious book, Thomas lists hundreds of roses, each with the plant's garden forms, varieties, hybrids, the name of the raiser, and the date it was introduced. He describes in detail the plant's leaves, blooms, height, and growing season. But the book is more than just a list of roses; Thomas includes an essay on the appeal of roses, one on old shrub roses, one on wild roses, one on climbers and ramblers, and another on cultivation, pruning, and fragrance. This is truly a comprehensive work on the subject, with 158 color photographs and paintings. Some of the paintings are by the author, as are 21 pencil drawings. George Cohen