Orchid books: discuss and show your collection

[kentuckiense]

My tastes center around books on slipper orchids and books on US natives. Additionally, I'm trying to collect comprehensive books about the orchid floras of certain areas/countries/regions. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to find a good non-field guide type orchid book for the British Isles.

Slipper-wise, I'd love to pick up Braem's monograph sometime to see how it compares with Cribb's. Also, I know Koopowitz has a book coming out, but I have no idea what it will be like. Finally, somebody write a Phrag/Selen monograph, please. Thanks.

My list:
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada - Luer
The Native Orchids of Florida - Luer
Native Orchids of Australia Including the Island Territories - Jones
Native Orchids of China in Color - Chen, Tsi, Luo
Slipper Orchids of Vietnam - Averyanov, Cribb, Loc, Hiep
The Genus Paphiopedilum, Second Edition - Cribb
The Genus Cypripedium - Cribb
Slipper Orchids of Borneo - Cribb
Wild Orchids Across North America - Keenan
Native Orchids of the Southern Appalachians - Bentley
Wild Orchids of the Canadian Maritimes and North Great Lakes Region - Brown and Folsom
Wild Orchids of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies - Brown and Folsom
Wild Orchids of the Northeastern United States - Brown and Folsom

 

[TheLorax]

Discuss and show your collection? Egads, I buy and read a lot and the post would probably get truncated.

I gravitate toward North American plants and the vast majority of books I have read are on natives but I've got quite a few on North American wildlife, integrated pest management, ethnobotany, weed sciences, biological habitat management, economics for the wilds, parallel evolution, Anaerobic bacteria, ecological interactions, plant pests and diseases, allelopathy, bird and plant regeneration, windbreaks, conservation, soil erosion, wetlands, prairie restoration, biodiversity, forest dynamics, management of endangered species, living corridors, carnivorous and insectivorous plants, propagation, invasive species, woodlands, ferns, cryptograms, mosses, and lakescaping.

My favorite book is Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac".

Here are the orchid books I have-
Growing Hardy Orchids, Tullock
Growing Orchids, Rittershausen
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada, Luer
The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hardy Perennial Orchids, Mathis
The Genus Paphiopedilum 2nd edition, Cribb
The Genus Cypripedium, Cribb (ordered not received)
Paphiopedilum Grower's Manual 2nd edition, Birk (not mine, borrowed)
Wild Orchids Across North America: A Botanical Travelogue, Keenan

I have some Ortho Book floating around here that is allegedly a complete guide to growing orchids which I picked up and read all of the first chapter then set down. It might make good material to start a fire with.

As most of the above are very recent purchases, I have only read 2.5 so far but will finish off the rest this winter.

Wild Orchids of the Northeastern United States by Brown and Folsom would be one I would be interested in purchasing and reading and your Slipper Orchids of Viet Nam looks interesting also.

 

[Candace]

I only own 3 books as my local orchid society has a huge library and I can check out books that I'm interested in.

 

[NYEric]

I own 4 Hahahaha!

 

[slippertalker]

My book collection consists of too many titles to list since I'm too lazy to do that......I probably have a library of 50+ orchid books over the years along with 30 years of "Orchids/AOS Bulletin" and Orchid Digests. My best treasure is a 5 volume collection of Lindenia..........Needless to say, I love books! I do review many of them on a regular basis, and the older books give an interesting perspective.

 

[NYEric]

Well I'd love to have books too but then how could I buy more plants?

 

[SlipperFan]

There are many I'd like to have, but the one I want most doesn't exist: Phragmipediums. I do have the special Orchid Digest issue of the same from several years back, but it's not very complete, and it certainly isn't current.

 

[T. migratoris]

I'm a book collector and an orchid grower. While it may not do much for a slipper crowd, to an Angraecoid nut there's some juice in the following list:

- Growing Orchids Under Lights – Charles M. Fitch
- An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar – Fred E. Hillerman (first edition, signed)
- The World of Catasetums – Arthur W. Holst
- African Orchids in the Wild & in Cultivation – Isobyl & Eric LaCroix
- You Can Grow Phalaenopsis Orchids – Mary Noble (first edition in great shape - couldn't resist)
- Miniature Orchids – Rebecca Tyson Northern
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids – Alec Pridgeon
- Orchid Growing Illustrated – Brian & Wilma Rittershausen
- Angraecoid Orchids; Species from the African Region – Joyce Stewart, et. al.
- Orchids of Tropical Africa – Joyce Stewart, et. al.
- Orchids of Africa: A Select Review – Joyce Stewart
- Orchid Pests & Diseases – James B. Watson (Ed.)
- Taylor’s Guide to Orchids – Judy White
- I also have about 30 AOS bulletins dating from the 1970s & 80s containing Angraecoid-specific articles written by Hillerman, Stewart & a select few other notable Angraecoid experts.

And just for fun, I have:

- Orchid Fever – Eric Hansen
- The Orchid Thief – Susan Orlean

When the day is done & the orchid lights goes out there's nothing better than on orchid book to finish out the evening ...

R

 

[kentuckiense]

- The World of Catasetums – Arthur W. Holst

He's from my home town (of about 4000 people) and his house/greenhouse is about 3 or 4 miles from my house. I visited him in his greenhouse once about 10 years ago. I need to get back in touch.

 

[T. migratoris]

Wow.

Fred Hillerman - king of Angraecoid growers - lives about an hour from my house. I understand he's 92 or so but I hope to meet him - perhaps through the Sacramento Orchid Society.

 

[NYEric]

Don't wait to visit other orchid-heads, like the rest of your family they won't be around forever.

 

[T. migratoris]

Good advice, and well said.

 

[arcticshaun]

I have:
Botanica's Pocket Orchids (like a small Encyclopedia, more cultural and size info, I bring it to orchid shows)
Bulbophyllums and their Allies -Emly S. Siegerist (lots of info, I still want more Bulbos)
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids - Alec Pridgeon (short on cultural info but still an excellent book)
Masdevallias-Gems of the Orchid World - Mary E. Gerritsen & Ron Parsons (love it, wish it were even bigger)
Orchids A Practical Handbook - Brian and Rita Ritterhausen (general)
Ortho Books - All About Growing Orchids (decent book for beginners, cheap)
RHS Orchids - Wilma and Brian Ritterhausen (general)
Taylors Guide to Orchids (general small sized, good for travel)
Ultimate Orchid - Thomas J. Sheenan (pretty general overview, but nice very nice photos)

and just ordered Harold Koopwitz - Tropical Slipper Orchids for delivery in 2008 mainly because I couldn't resist the price (on sale) and I need more Slipper porn

I think any further book purchases will be related to specific orchid genus as I waffle from being a Paphophile and an species snob (although in some cases I'm both)

Shaun

 

[Ron-NY]

I own 4 Hahahaha!

Eric have you colored the 4th one yet :rollhappy:

I don't have a list of my orchid library but along the lines of books that you like I do have:

Orchids of Kenya...Joyce Stewart with photos by Bob Cambell
African Orchids in the wild and in Cultivation....Isobyl and Eric La Croix

 

[NYEric]

Eric have you colored the 4th one yet :rollhappy:

If I had to color them I wouldn't own them!

 

[Grandma M]

Thanks guys. Now I don't feel so guilty spending all that money or Orchid books. I really do spend a lot of time with my nose in these books.

Botanica’s Orchids - 2002 - Laurel Glen
Bulbophyllums and Their Allies - a Growers Guide by Imly S Siegerist - Timber Press - 2001
Culture of the Phalaenopsis Orchid by Bob Gordon - 1990
Growing Orchids Is Fun - by Albert P. Hollingsworth - 2003 - Sun Bulb Co
Growing Orchids under Lights by Charles Marden Fitch - 2002 - AOS
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids by Alec Pridgeon - 2000 - Timber Press
Orchid Pests and Diseases - 2002 - AOS
Orchid Grower’s Companion by David Banks - Timber Press - 2005
Orchids by Joyce Stewart - Revised Edition 2000 - Timber Press
Paphiopedilum Growers Manual by Burk Lance 2nd Edition 2004 - Press
Ultimate Orchid by Thomas J. Sheehan 2001 - Dk
Ortho’s All about Orchids by Ortho - 1999 - Merideth Books
Ortho’s Complete Guide to Orchids by Ortho - Meredith Press - 2005
Paphiopedilum in Taiwan III
Paphiopedilum in Taiwan IV
Vandas and Ascocendas & Their Combinations with Other Genera - David Grove 1995 - Timber Press
Your First Orchid by Stephen R. Batchelor - 2001- AOS

On Order 2008 new book by Koopewitz