Customer Reviews

Orchids

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I can't recommend this book highly enough. The photography is fantastic and the informative text is written in an easy to read style. References to individual plants and supplies are up-to-date, too. You can't go wrong with this book, which is available for a surprisingly low price.

As one of the authors of this book (the photographer) I am sorry that you are disappointed. The book was never intended to address the "science and methods of orchid care", nor was it intended to serve as a field guide for identifying species. The book's purpose is to share the beauty of these flowers with those who are unfamiliar, and offer a non-technical, easy reading introduction to the history, classification, and culture of orchids. The publishers contracted us to produce a coffee table book and that is exactly what we did.

I am very disappointed by this book. While the pictures are plentiful and striking, the information in the book is essentially useless. While the authors make a valiant attempt to cover a breadth of species, they do so at the expense of providing any depth beyond what you might expect from your teenager's research report. The vast majority of photos are extreme close-ups of the blooms - great if you're looking for a coffee table book. Since there are few pictures of complete plants, however, the photos do not really aid in plant identification. Finally, a casual read uncovered three typos - all of which would have been caught through a spell check. I'm left thinking the authors were more interested in making a quick buck than making a quality contribution to the science and methods of orchid care.