Every month this year, we’re doing a series of blog posts on three interesting, cool or rare items or collections found in the State Library. After we feature these “Library jewels,” we invite our blog readers to choose their favorite on an online poll.

With the state’s cherry harvest going on and the apple harvest just a month or two away, it’s only fitting that our first Library jewel for July deals with tree fruit. After all, Washington IS a national and world leader in growing apples, cherries and pears.  The first jewel is a collection of historic books related to the state’s tree fruit industry. One book is called “Washington State Fruit Industry; A Brief History,” by W. A. “Bill” Luce. It is believed to have been published in or around 1972. Another is a 1912 book called “Fruit Growing in Washington,” published by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. A third book is “The Prune Industry In the Pacific Northwest” by S.A. Clarke. It’s believed to have been published in the 1890s.

Our other July Library jewels will be showcased later this week, followed by the online poll.