The search for rare and heritage apples in the Pacific Northwest
By David Benscoter & Linda Hackbarth

Nonfiction, 288 pages
Hardbound 7.5" x 10.5", color
Retail $38.00

Coming mid September 2024!

Preorders made direct with the publisher by August 31st enjoy a 10% discount plus FREE shipping.

Please note you *MUST* use the code LOSTAPPLES at checkout to receive this limited time discount.

From the 1600s, when the first colonists brought apples from Europe, up through the early 1900s, an estimated 17,000 named varieties of apples were cultivated in North America. Most of those apples are lost and possibly extinct today.

This is the account of apple historians and enthusiasts who are canvassing old orchards and forgotten homesteads of the Inland Northwest in search of the rare and heritage apples that still survive. It’s a quest that combines diligent detective work with fascinating historical and horticultural research—and a passion for apples.

So far these apple detectives have tracked down and documented nearly 30 formerly lost apple cultivars, or varieties. Lost Apples dips deep into regional history and tells of the continuing search and the successes so far. It is beautifully illustrated with more than 50 classic color apple portraits painted by artists for the United States Department of Agriculture Division of Pomology from the late 1800s to early 1900s. It also includes an appendix of more than 1,600 known cultivars documented in historical records of the region.

The quest continues ... discoveries await!

Author David Benscoter spent 24 years in federal law enforcement before a passion for apples put him on the track of lost cultivars. He is the founder of the Lost Apple Project. Contributing author and researcher Linda Hackbarth has written two books on regional history.

Early praise for Lost Apples

“Lost Apples is one of the, if not THE best complete regional works on apples I have ever encountered. David Benscoter’s devoted obsession to researching the true history of apples and the people who grew them in the Pacific Northwest is meticulous and nothing short of a delight to anyone who treasures apples. ... David Benscoter and Linda Hackbarth deserve a place in the lexicon of great apple books. This is a masterpiece!”
Dan Bussey, apple historian and author The Illustrated History of Apples in the United States and Canada

“Lost Apples provides a colorful and entertaining behind-the-scenes view of those of non-Native descent who came and farmed and planted the region’s first apple trees. For the experienced or novice fruit explorer it provides a detailed model of how to plunge into the agriculture of our past. Lost Apples is an astonishing piece of research, dedication, and love.”
John Bunker, apple hunter and author Apples and the Art of Detection