Customer Reviews

Bamboo World

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The authors are among the English-speaking world's leading authorities on selecting, propagating, managing, harvesting and utilizing tropical bamboos (as ornamentals and windbreaks, as nursery stock, as food crops, and as structural material for fine furniture, musical instruments and building construction), and they bring an enthusiasm and joy to the topic that are simply unequaled. Even without the detailed and practical text, which will benefit bamboo enthusiasts wherever they live and whatever species they choose to grow, the scores of gorgeous full-color photographs of tropical bamboos are alone worth more than the modest cost of this large, handsome volume. (Note that imported books of bamboo color photography often cost $80 to $100 or more, yet lack the high-quality printing and binding of this book.) Many of us in the north may never see bamboos like these outside of conservatories (unless we travel to warmer climates), and their sheer size, beauty, strength, color and variations are breathtaking. Without a doubt, the Cusacks and this book will do more to promote tropical bamboos than any work previously published. Every bamboo lover will want to own a copy of Bamboo World.

The author has an agenda: undo the bad reputation Bamboo has as impossibly invasive by pointing out that this is true only of running bamboo the only good characteristic of which is that it grows in colder places. This is a fine agenda. That is I liked this book because the author gardens in a climate similar to the one I live (Mediteranian) in unlike most other gardening/Bamboo books which are more suited to England. (do gardners in England write books all winter?)

The author clearly enjoys working with Bamboo and his enthusiasm comes through everywhere making the book enjoyable.

The books is very practicle giving details on growing, propagation, harvesting, cooking, treating and construction. Everything you might ever do with Bamboo.

I've looked at a few other Bamboo books and this is by far the most detailed and useful.

This book is very detailed and reads very easily. Victor's passion for bamboo is obvious and he provides detailed information on just about every aspect of working with bamboo. He gives useful information on identifying, planting, caring for, harvesting and construction using a huge variety of bamboos. He includes great information on building joints for bamboo and different treatment styles. There's even a few DIY projects included to help you build furniture or even a small shelter.

The information is unashamedly biased towards the more useful 'clumping' bamboo, rather that the more weed-like 'running' bamboo, but most of the DIY tips can be used for both. After reading the book, Victor has convinced me that clumping bamboos are the ones to use and that running bamboos should be avoided.

The only small shortcoming I found is that Victor, being based in Australia, is very detailed when it comes to Asian and Australasian bamboo species. For species in South America however, (which I am working with) he is a little brief. Apart from species identification however, everything else he talks about seems to apply equally to South American species (although it will be a little while before I know all the results!).

An excellent resource which I have used extensively both for agricultural research as well as for my home garden. The most comprehensive guide to bamboo culture that I have come across. Highly recommended.

I live in an area of So. FL. which was devastated by Wilma. Australian pines which had been my sight and sound barrier were destroyed. I decided to plant bamboo as a perimeter, but was in a quandry about how to proceed, except that I didn't want runners.I have looked at other "bamboo" books without enthusiasm. I ordered this book sight-unseen, because it sounded perfect for me. And it is perfect for my needs. It deals with everything I want to know (such as propogation) and many things I think I don't need to know (such as how to construct furniture and huts from bamboo.) Thankfully, it excludes the runners and concentrates on what I want.
A friend asked if there was a clumper which grew to about eight feet. We went to the book and found the answer. I recommend this book highly. It is literate and to the point.

This is a very comprehensive book about bamboo. The diagrams and pictures are very good at showing everything you might want to know about bamboo. It has lots of pictures of projects that you can make with bamboo and has lots of connecting strategies for working with it. Some of the other books I've seen have been a little more limited in this. The only negative I saw was that the pictures look a little dated. (70's ish) Not a big deal though. Definitely worth the price.