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Botanical Latin [Illustrated] [Paperback]

William T. Stearn
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 15, 2004 0881926272 978-0881926279 Fourth Edition
Botanical Latin is accepted by horticulturists and botanists everywhere as the medium for naming new plants, and botanical research is almost impossible without reference to the vast number of first descriptions in Latin — much information is available in no other language. For gardeners, too, a working knowledge of botanical Latin is essential for the accurate identification of plants in the garden. Now available in paperback, the fourth edition of this internationally renowned handbook summarizes the grammar and syntax of botanical Latin, and covers the origins of Latin and latinized geographical names, color terms, symbols and abbreviations, diagnoses and descriptions, the formation of names and epithets, and much more.


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As Stearn states in his "Apologia" of a preface, "this book aims to provide a working guide to the special kind of Latin internationally used by botanists for the description and naming of plants." First published in 1966, Botanical Latin is the standard work in its field, a bible for botanists and a source of useful and trivial information for avid gardeners, etymologists, classical scholars, and others. The fourth edition has a larger format, "minor emendations" to bibliographies and text, and some 400 entries have been added to the vocabulary. This erudite and comprehensive work is recommended only for academic and specialized botanical and horticultural collections.
- Richard Shotwell, Hancock Shaker Vil lage, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Mr. Stearn delivers the History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary of botanical Latin with such lively erudition I often find myself foraging through this linguistic hortus botanicus for the pure word-empowering romance of it."—Patti Hagan, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 1999 (Patti Hagan Wall Street Journal)

"The interesting array of words ... will pique the curiosity of even the most casual of readers leafing through the book to slow down, pause, and browse awhile."—Carole T. Gee, SpringerWienNewYork, 2006 (Carole T. Gee SpringerWienNewYork)

"This internationally renowned masterpiece is indispensible."—Cindy Roché, Kalmiopsis, August 2005 (Cindy Roch Kalmiopsis)

Product Details

  • Paperback: 560 pages
  • Publisher: Timber Press; Fourth Edition edition (April 15, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0881926272
  • ISBN-13: 978-0881926279
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 47 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for botanists, if a little dry July 7, 2000
Format:Hardcover
Stearn's Botanical Latin is one of those books that every botanist involved with nomenclature and scientific description needs - especially if you never learned Latin in school and even if you did. There's a well-thumbed copy on the shelf in your herbarium, but you'll learn more from having it within arm's reach at all times. His introduction to the history provides the context and background to the elements of traditional nomenclature while the grammar and syntax can get you through the basics of a description. And of course, the vocabulary section is priceless for getting through old literature and descriptions - he provides enough of a skeleton of usage to help you understand the way descriptions are built and Latin terms are used in the botanical field. A typical latin dictionary provides tens of definitions for some words that in botanical Latin only get used one or a few ways, so the terminology section is great for making reading botanical Latin efficient.
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62 of 65 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Botanical Latin June 9, 2003
Format:Hardcover
As the quote says: "This book aims to provide a working guide to the special kind of Latin internationally used by botanists for the description and naming of plants." As such it has little or no competition and by itself sets the standard in the field.

Obviously it is not a dictionary, nor is it about plant names. For those wanting to look up current plants and their taxonomic status there is the invaluable "The plant-book" by D.J.Mabberley. For the derivation of botanical names there is "Stearn's dictionary of plant names for gardeners" by this same W.T.Stearn. Another very commendable dictionary (for a related field) is "Composition of Scientific Words" by R.W.Brown.

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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for anybody who's serious about plants November 1, 2000
Format:Hardcover
This book is probably on nearly every professional botanist's bookshelf, and is considered THE definitive reference for its subject. But it's also a great reference for anybody who is serious about plants and wants to know what their names mean and how they got them.

This most certainly is a reference book and not light reading. Nonetheless "Botanical Latin" also includes many interesting little tidbits, such as the derivation of Linnaeus's name (Linnaeus was the original name, and not a Latinization of Linné, as often thought). There is much more in this book than just vocabulary and grammar.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars It truly has a wealth of information..
Not everything, or not that I have found so far, but definitely has use far beyond my greenhouse/ higher ed needs.
Kudos!
Published 2 months ago by KLee
5.0 out of 5 stars A great Book, very deep.
This book was a little deeper than I had expected it to be, but it will be a great reference work and I will probably check it often to find out the deeper meaning of a botanical... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Charles Knight
3.0 out of 5 stars Useful book for Botanists
This book is very useful for professional botanists. I see that any teacher or professor in botany field need this book,and I recommende this book to any University library
Published 8 months ago by Yahya Soliman Masrahi
5.0 out of 5 stars botanical latin. not for the novice.
This is a great book, but much understanding of the subject is needed before hand for a person to really get much out of it. Read more
Published on September 10, 2008 by Chance A. Dunlap
4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding. A classic in its field and scientific Latin generally
This is the best book readily available on scientific Latin, not just botanical Latin. Great lists, glossary, etc.
Published on April 20, 2008 by Dennis During
5.0 out of 5 stars Botanical Latin - even the title sounds scary
I was given this book by a 'fellow plant person' as a helpful hand through grad 'skool'. I truly wish I'd had known about this book years ago when I starting to ID plants, lichens... Read more
Published on October 21, 2007 by T. Vanover
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for serious students of botany
Ever wonder what those Latin botanical names actually mean? Well, this book will reveal it all. It's thick and heavy, but that's to be expected of such a thorough and exhaustive... Read more
Published on January 10, 2007 by Paul T. Corogin
2.0 out of 5 stars Nearly impossible to look up a name's meaning
A very scholarly and authoritative work to be admired by academics everywhere - almost useless as a quick means to look up what a botanical name means. Read more
Published on February 12, 2002 by pterostyrax
1.0 out of 5 stars What use is this?
Book is suitable for use as a door stop but not much else. note the following example which is typical: "Hypanthium: hypanthium (s.n. H), abl. sing. hypanthio. Read more
Published on December 25, 2000 by Henry E. Raduazo
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