I'll be the first to admit that I rarely read the orchid books in my library. I buy them, flip to the index to look up any plants I've been having trouble with, check for any cultural advice then put it on the shelf. Probably never to be looked at again.
But recently I went back to a few books, started at page one and actually read through. So far, and IMHO, there are a handful of books that are written well enough to actually read like a book. In no particular order they are Holst's Catasetum book, the two Cattleya books, one by AA Chadwick and the other by Courtney Hackney, and Mary Gerritsen's Masdevallia book. Both Holst and Gerritsen delve into the regional geography as it pertains to their topic orchids. Well, Hillerman does that too in his Angrecoid book (co-written by Holst) but for some reason the relationship between the region and the species made an impression on me in the two books I mention. Both Gerritsen and Chadwick go back into the history of orchid discovery, something I rarely pay any attention to, but this time I found it engaging. Hackney covers much of the same ground, but with an eye to the history of American orchids. So it dovetails nicely. I guess as summertime reading season approaches, I'll pull a few books down off the shelf and actually read what their authors have to say! Perhaps my New Season's Resolution should be to not to be such a shallow dilettante. Next up, Christensen's Phal book! K Barrett N Calif, USA (Oh yeah, and for those of you who really like pictures with their orchids, the Gerritsen Masdevallia book has tons!)(Well they all do, but I'm talking about words, not pictures. These books got great words, *G*!) _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
