Books you may like to hear about

[Joakim B]

There was a long (and positive) review of this book in latest number of Orchids and it was mostly positive.
It sounds interesting something for the club? Since it is not sold by Amazon and the likes!?
Maybe AOS american orchid society sells it but I was not able to find anything from their webpage.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Giles]

Book available:
http://hengduanbiotech.com/

[Joakim B]

Giles it is not so much of a threat to SRGC:s bookshop since it is in China and shipping will be expensive.
RTW I have trouble scrolling to see all that is written on a page and that is a pittty since the pics of mother plants of the Cyps is below the limit.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Paddy Tobin]

I truly enjoy a good book and have a selection to recommend to you.

Plantsman's Paradise - Travels in China by Roy Lancaster

Reissued almost 20 years after being first published this book has stood the test of time, giving  a very readable account of Roy Lancaster’s many journeys in China, and his infectiously enthusiastic descriptions of the interesting plants he encountered there. The original black and white photographs have been replaced by 1,000 of the author’s own colour photographs. This is quite simply an outstanding book, an absolute must-have, a true magnus opus.
[Plantsman’s Paradise – Travels in China, Roy Lancaster, Garden Art Press, 2008, HB, 511pp, £39.99, ISBN: 978-1-85149-515-3]


Frank Kingdon Ward's Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges edited by  Kenneth Cox

Frank Kingdon Ward explored the Tsangpo Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world carrying Tibet’s Yarlong Tsangpo river in 1924 – ’25. Kenneth Cox, Kenneth Storm Jn. and Ian Baker spent ten years retracing the route of this expedition and this book recounts these adventures with accounts of the country, the people, the plants and animals found there. The original Frank Kingdon Ward text is complimented by the additional material added in this book and includes a foreword by his widow, Jean Rasmussen, and a brief biography of Kingdon Ward. The accounts of the later expeditions are very well illustrated with colour photographs and include notes on the history of exploration in the area, its geography and geology as well as present threats to the habitat. This is another outstanding book. [Frank Kingdon Ward’s Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges, edited by Kenneth Cox, Garden Art Press, 2008, HB, 335pp, £35, ISBN: 978-1-8519-516-0]


Seeds of Adventure - In Search of Plants by Peter Cox and Peter Hutchinson.

Peter Cox and Peter Hutchinson have made extensive travels in search of hardy plants and this book sixteen of those journeys, among them the Himalaya, western China and Turkey and regularly to places no other western plant hunters had ventured since the likes of Frank Kingdon Ward. As might be expected from a member of the Cox family, there is a strong interest in rhododendrons, many new or lost in cultivation. With over 700 colour photographs this is a book for the plant enthusiast and the armchair traveller. It is an outstanding, informative and very enjoyable book. [Seeds of Adventure – In Search of Plants, Peter Cox & Peter Hutchinson, Garden Art Press, 2008, HB, 415pp, £35, ISBN: 978-1-870673-58-7]

The Gardens of Russell Page by Marina Schinz & Gabrielle Zuylan

After Russell Page’s death Marina Schinz and Gabrielle van Zuylen, both friends and enthusiastic admirers of Page, decided that they would attempt to preserve and document what remained of his work. Gardens can vanish, change completely or fall into disrepair so very easily and they felt that the legacy of a great man could be lost. This book certainly fulfilled their brief. It is an outstanding testimony to the genius of Russell Page, essentially a book of brilliant photographs with sufficient text to outline the background to each garden and the development of Page’s style and approach over the years. It is a brilliant, outstanding, inspiring and beautiful book. [The Gardens of Russell Page, Marina Schinz & Gabrielle van Zuylen, Frances Lincoln, 2008, HB,         255pp, £35, ISBN: 13:978-0-7112-2694-4]


The Magic of Monet's Garden, His Planting Plans and Colour Harmonies by Derek Fell

And finally, and very briefly, here is a most enjoyable book on a garden of great beauty. Claude Money believed he was good at only two things, “painting and gardening” and in his garden at Giverny he painted with plants and flowers. The author discusses this work of art, Monet’s approaches to this work and how it can be replicated on a smaller scale in our own gardens. I adored this book! [The Magic of Monet’s Garden, His Planting Plans and Colour Harmonies, Derek Fell, Frances Lincoln, 2008,HB, 160pp, £25, ISBN: 978-0-7112-2737-8]



I expect the first three will certainly be available throught the SRGC at competitive prices and they are certainly worth having.

Paddy

[yijiawang]

Please check attachment for price detail.

this is detail of book:
Size: 210mm×285mm
number of Picture: 427
first edition: Aug,2007
number of book:1000
ISBN:978-7-5410-3346-9

Orchids of Huanglong
黄龙兰花
Language: Chinese and English bilingual
Author: Holger Perner and Yibo Luo
Number of Pages: 221 pages with color photos Binding: Paperback
Subject(s): Flowers

【Introduction】
Huanglong is entitled a “Haven for Plants”. Within its rich plant resources the orchids of Huanglong play an important role in conservation and have also a value for the development of sustainable uses like biotechnological mass-propagation. Orchids have unique forms and fragrances. Orchids are extolled as the “Aristocrats of Flowers” and are said to have “royal fragrances”. They are admired by famous as well as common people at all times and in all countries. In 1975 orchids were listed in the appendix for protected species of the “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora” (CITES).
This book is the first popular account of this rich orchid flora. This book offers you the research outcome in a way of multi directions, systematicness and forward looking. It has an important value on protection and development of orchid resources in Huanglong.

【Main Contents】

01. Preface
02. Foreword Phillip
03. Introduction
04. Acknowledge
05. The Huanglong National Park
06. Early Botanic Explorations in Huanglong
07. A Short Introduction into the Taxonomy of Orchids
08. Phylogenetic Order of the Orchids of Huanglong
09. The Orchid Species from A-Z
10. Literature

[FrazerHenderson]

Came across a website that offers a wide selection of new and second-hand plant books and interestingly for continental members they have books in a range of european languages.

www.keithsplantbooks.co.uk

There is also an extensive selection on southern african flora.

[Maggi Young]

An interesing site, Frazer, many thanks.

[FrazerHenderson]

PRICE COMPARISON
Don't know if this has been mentioned before but there is a good price comparison site (also covers continental Europe and US) called BookButler  http://us.bookbutler.com/

For interest I typed in a search for ALPINE PLANTS - Ecology for Gardeners by John Good and David Millward. The site identified 2 editions (Batsford Edition printed Apr 2007 and Timber Press Edition printed May 2007). A large number of booksellers held stocks of both books and prices (inclusive of post and packing to UK destination) ranged from £12.75 to £25 - the cheapest Timber Press edition was £15.03.

[FrazerHenderson]

A couple of interesting books have been recently published which will prove of interest to Scottish Rock Gardeners:

The Flora of Rum (ISBN 978-0-9538111-3-7) Pearman et al. 480pp maps and colour plates. Privately published . Available from www.summerfieldbooks.com £25 hbk

British Alpine Hawkweeds. A monograph of British Hieracium section Alpina Tennant & Rich. BSBI 2008 234pp, colour paintings, photos, drawings and maps. The book covers 39 taxa (34 species plus forms). Available from www.summerfieldbooks.com£25 pbk or £35 hbk. (To whet the appetite one of my own shots of a native hawkweed).

Both books have been highly praised in the specialist press.

[Paddy Tobin]

Franz,

Sounds like a good book. They certainly are the most bothersome plants to identify.

Paddy

[Oron Peri]

I am looking for a copy of The Crocus by B. Mathew for sometime now.

Prices i have seen so far are really high, even on eBay. any idea where i can find a copy at a reasonable price.
Thank's
oron

[David Nicholson]

I am looking for a copy of The Crocus by B. Mathew for sometime now.

Prices i have seen so far are really high, even on eBay. any idea where i can find a copy at a reasonable price.
Thank's
oron

Oron, if you ever find a copy at a reasonable price I would strongly advise you to keep the details to yourself. At least 50 members of this Forum would willingly commit murder to get their hands on a copy

I look at the Internet based book sites at least once each week, and wherever I go where there is a second hand book shop I browse the shelves.

The cheapest copy I have found today is on Abe Books Site at approx. £95 including postage and packing (approx. 620 Shekels)

[ChrisB]

Surely a case for reprint then....

[Oron Peri]

Oron, if you ever find a copy at a reasonable price I would strongly advise you to keep the details to yourself. At least 50 members of this Forum would willingly commit murder to get their hands on a copy

David, I knew that i am risking to become addicted to this forum, what I didn't know is that I have to watch my back too....

At the moment there is one copy of the book on eBay, they ask for it 295$us + shipping, it is a pity that there isn't a way to reprint this book, even in a small edition.
Maybe the srgc and other groups should try working on that...

[David Shaw]

SAXIFRAGES - MALCOLM McGREGOR

It's here, delivered today and still warm from the presses! A definitive guide for those of us who are serious about our saxes.
Members price £31:50 (RRP £35).
They are ready for sending out but I will be in Orkney next week.
They will also be available at Discussion Weekend and the AGM.