The Queen Elizabeth Rose

California (Gilroy?): Germain's, Inc., 1954. First Edition. Velour on boards. Fine. An unique and lovely promotional book produced by Germain's of California to commemorate both The Queen Elizabeth Rose, one of its many seed products at the time, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. One might say there was in this a fertile cross-fertilization among its horticultural business, anglophilism and royal worship that has some of its most ardent acolytes among the non-subject peoples of the former American colonies. Germain's certainly went all out with this portfolio, binding the celebratory book in a plush purple velour that sets off a jeweled crown piece mounted onto it. A silk ribbon tied on the bias in the lower corner conveys the title in an ornamental cursive. Within are several pretty color illustrations of the rose, one a full page plate, and useful information and fluff about roses, this variety of rose, the young queen, who never looked better than in the photos that fill two full pages. The book is a fine example of the soft sell prestige promotion, and it would seem the recipients of it would have saved it and prized it. In the preliminaries within a pared down royal emblem it is written "Book 61", which would suggest this was a limited run, and perhaps very limited run. The unpaginated book has 27 pages with text or illustrations, including the title, half-title,etc., and it has the dimensions of a proud coffee table book at 12 by 10 inches, or 31 by 26 cm. Minor corner wear to the velour.