by  A. Cort Sinnes

A. Cort Sinnes was a member of the original creative team for the Ortho Book Series, beginning in 1974, working as editor and author, and then as managing editor for the entire Ortho Series, a position he held until 1983. During his ten years with Ortho Books, he was author of All About Perennials, All about Annuals, Shade Gardening, Low-Maintenance Gardening, All About Soils, Fertilizers, and Water, and How to Select and Care for Shrubs and Hedges, as well as co-author of a number of other titles, including All About Tomatoes, and Small Space Gardening.

Cort wrote Houseplants, The Gardener's Answer Book, and Container Gardening for Sunset Books in 1984-85. He wrote his first cookbook, The Grilling Book, for Aris Books in 1986, and Hot Tubs and Spas for HP Books, which is still in print. In 1992 his second cookbook, The Grilling Encyclopedia, was published by Atlantic Monthly Press and was nominated for a James Beard Award. His third cookbook, Gas Grill Gourmet (Harvard Common Press) was published in 1996 and named one of the Top Ten cookbooks of 1999 by the National Barbecue Association. To date it has sold more than 150,000 copies; a completely revised edition is due out in June 2004. In 1996 Cort was also a contributing author for The All New Joy of Cooking. In April 2004 In My Garden, which Cort wrote and illustrated, will be published by Andrews McMeel. In October 2004 The Big Platter Cookbook, which Cort wrote with co-author Lou Jane Temple, will be published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

From 1986 through 1990 Cort was editor-in-chief of Flower & Garden magazine in Kansas City, Missouri. After leaving the magazine, he started his own book series, Backyard Books, of which there are now two titles in print: In Your Own Backyard, and Backyard Games, published by Andrews and McMeel in 1992 and 1993. In 1993 In Your Own Backyard was awarded the prestigious Quill & Trowel Award for excellence in writing from the Garden Writers Association of America. From 1992 to 1996, Cort wrote and illustrated a syndicated newspaper column, In Your Own Backyard, which appeared in more than 250 newspapers nationwide.

In 1996 Cort became the founding editor of Gardening How-To magazine and the Executive Director of the National Home Gardening Club. Gardening How-To currently has over 575,000 readers and was the fastest growing magazine in America in 1998. He is currently a contributing editor for Gardening How-To magazine, was the on-air host of the National Home Gardening Club's video series, Hooked on Gardening, and served as executive editor for the Home Gardener's Library. He continues to make contributions to several cooking magazines, including Fine Cooking, Kitchen Garden, and Cook's Illustrated and has served as as a media spokesperson and creative consultant for a number of outdoor living and specialty food companies, including Northrup-King Seeds, Country Home Products, and KitchenAid.