Books you may like to hear about

[Rodger Whitlock]

Google maps includes both a "terrain" view and satellite imagery of the Tsangpo River as it winds its way around Chomolhari. The "terrain" view unfortunately does not indicate water courses very well, but by zooming in on the satellite imagery, you can gradually pick out the exact route of the river. An exercise well worth carrying out by anyone interested in the history of Himalayan exploration.

[Paddy Tobin]

Rodger,

Glad to see your interest in Roy Lancaster's book. It is indeed outstanding and it was such a delight to have it updated and republished.


SAXIFRAGES - MALCOLM McGREGOR

David Shaw mentioned the arrival of this book a fortnight ago. I have just received a copy and, though I haven't read it yet, am very impressed by the layout, photographs and quality of the text. It appears to be an excellent book and certainly seems likely to increase my interest in saxifrages.

And, of interest, Malcolm McGregor was editor of the Scottish Rock Garden Club journal for several years and so is likely to be known by many of the Scottish forumists.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Just noticed the following book when browsing this Site

http://www.keithsplantbooks.co.uk/Plant%20Hunting.htm?Books=G

Apparantly published by the SRGC in 1935 and written by Cooper, Curle and Fair  'George Forest VMH: Explorer and Botanist Who By His Discoveries and Plants Successfully Introduced Has Greatly Enriched Our Gardens 1873-1932'

That's one hell of a title!

Price £20 plus £3.75 post and packing

[Maggi Young]

Interesting, David.... Curle was A. O. Curle   C.V.O., L.L.D.,
Cooper was R.E. Coooper  F.R.S.E.    ... dont' know who Fair was.... will research...

First two have trophies awarded at the shows named for them, notably the R.E. Cooper Bhutan Drinking Cup... awarded for best  asiatic primula in Edinburgh show.....  it's a strange little thing, was given to Cooper by a Maharajah, I think!!    A.O. Curle memorial  Trophy is also awarded at Edinburgh show for winner of the three pans /grown from seed class. It, if I remember correctly, is a pretty heaviy embossed silver dish/platter.
Dear me, I  AM a mine of odd facts...... frighten myself sometimes!
 

[Maggi Young]

Hmm... I can find nothing about W.S. Fair, other than the fact that he was one of three  members of the editorial committee( with Curle and Cooper) who arranged the publication of the book in 1935. I have the 1973 reprint of the book in front of me now..... interesting to see, given the 2008 prices of 20 to 25 pounds for the book that in 1973 it could be had for £1.25 or $3.25 !!!! Rather different from the Sterling/USdollar exchange rate we see today.... less than $1.45 to the pound at the minute, eh? Yikes!
By the way.... price in 1973 included post and packing!

[David Nicholson]

I think it's inflation Maggi

[Lvandelft]

That is a good reason to read this book once again. Good format to keep it near the bedside 
As it is with so many books, you buy them, read the interesting parts of them or the whole
book, which with garden books is not always the case and put them on the bookshelf.
Most are used for references.
I almost totally forgot I have this book. Bought many years ago for 10 guilders, which at that
time was equivalent to 3 £, which was (now I realize) a bargain for the original of 1935.

[ian mcenery]

Our local Birmingham group of the AGS was recently fortunate to have a talk given by Brian Mathew, absolutely excellent by the way. I asked him whether there were any plans to reprint The Crocus monograph as I didn't want to pay in excesss of £150 to get a copy. He said that he wouldnt make promises but it was on the list, but not soon - I think Margaret was listening. He also said that he wished he had kept a few copies back to supplement his pension

[FrazerHenderson]

At £150 that Crocus monograph copy is a comparative bargain: Amazon is offering a used copy at £270!!!

On the subject of Brian Mathew I puchased recently a copy of Flowering Bulbs for the Garden published as part of the series of Kew Gardening guides for just 20p from a library sale and after some rootling in a second-hand bookshop I unearthed Growing Bulbs - The Complete Practical Guide for £3.25. There is a high degree of overlap in content however both will be referred to over coming months and years and for such a relatively minimal outlay must be considered to be genuine bargains.

I also managed to get a copy (complete with dust-jacket) of Bowles' A Handbook of Crocus and Colchicum for £2.50. I haven't yet consumed the contents but the tasty figure on page 57 showing clearly the parts of and differences between crocus and colchicum was worth, to this novice of bulbs and corms, the purchase price alone.

[David Nicholson]

At £150 that Crocus monograph copy is a comparative bargain: Amazon is offering a used copy at £270!!!

On the subject of Brian Mathew I puchased recently a copy of Flowering Bulbs for the Garden published as part of the series of Kew Gardening guides for just 20p from a library sale and after some rootling in a second-hand bookshop I unearthed Growing Bulbs - The Complete Practical Guide for £3.25. There is a high degree of overlap in content however both will be referred to over coming months and years and for such a relatively minimal outlay must be considered to be genuine bargains.

I also managed to get a copy (complete with dust-jacket) of Bowles' A Handbook of Crocus and Colchicum for £2.50. I haven't yet consumed the contents but the tasty figure on page 57 showing clearly the parts of and differences between crocus and colchicum was worth, to this novice of bulbs and corms, the purchase price alone.

My second-hand copy of Brian Mathew's  'Growing Bulbs-The Complete Practical Guide' cost me £6 and I make a lot of use of it so £3.25 was an absolute snip. I think I have the edge though with Bowles' 'A Handbook of Crocus and Colchicum'. My copy is a Garden Book Club edition from 1955 and cost me the princely sum of 50p! Now if only some novice second-hand book seller had a copy of The Crocus..................

[ian mcenery]

At £150 that Crocus monograph copy is a comparative bargain: Amazon is offering a used copy at £270!!!

On the subject of Brian Mathew I puchased recently a copy of Flowering Bulbs for the Garden published as part of the series of Kew Gardening guides for just 20p from a library sale and after some rootling in a second-hand bookshop I unearthed Growing Bulbs - The Complete Practical Guide for £3.25. There is a high degree of overlap in content however both will be referred to over coming months and years and for such a relatively minimal outlay must be considered to be genuine bargains.

I also managed to get a copy (complete with dust-jacket) of Bowles' A Handbook of Crocus and Colchicum for £2.50. I haven't yet consumed the contents but the tasty figure on page 57 showing clearly the parts of and differences between crocus and colchicum was worth, to this novice of bulbs and corms, the purchase price alone.

I have both  of these but unfortunately Mathews book does not provide a key for Crocus. Bowles gives some but many species are missing and old names are used.

An enjoyeable book which still seems cheap is EA Bowles my garden in spring. Bowles certainly did a lot of plant hunting and had good contacts

[Giles]

Mathew/Crocus for £150 is a bargain. The alternative makes one's eyes water (Maw/Crocus £2,000) !!!!

[FrazerHenderson]

There are a number of other good publications that can be purchased for a snip and are usually to be found in charity or second-hand bookshops.

A quick, random review of my library has drawn out Mountain Flowers by Raven and Walters. This 1984 limpback is a reissue of the 1965 reprint of the original 1956 edition (No 33 of the New Naturalist Library). Though the photographs are in black and white the remaining material is original - and still of value today. I think I paid £1.50. I've seen many copies available across the UK. Of my favoured books, with which I would not want to be without, is G.F Gardiner's Pictorial Plant Propagation. This 1956 Garden Book Club edition is comprehensive (aside from micro-propagation) and explains matters in a succinct and readily accessible manner. It is probably the best 50 pence investment, aside from my wife's wedding ring, I've made. A recent purchase this past month is Plant Hunting in Nepal by Roy Lancaster. The 1983 reprint, for, I think, the NZ and Australian market, is readily available because it was quickly remaindered, as the colour photographs were printed upside down. The text is fine, and can be read in both the northern and southern hemispheres- and though I had read it many years before I never tire of Roy's easy, yet informative, prose. Copies are usually from about £1- 4.50.

[fermi de Sousa]

A recent purchase this past month is Plant Hunting in Nepal by Roy Lancaster. The 1983 reprint, for, I think, the NZ and Australian market, is readily available because it was quickly remaindered, as the colour photographs were printed upside down.

Did they do this intentionally for the Southern Hemisphere market??
cheers
fermi

[ashley]

Did they do this intentionally for the Southern Hemisphere market??

I think so.  Ribbon ads around the pitch at Croke Park in Dublin were also upside down for the Ireland v All Blacks match yesterday