Orchids [Hardcover]

Scott Appell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

Celebrate the exotic beauty of these long-cherished flowers! The next-best thing to having pots and greenhouses filled with fragrant orchids is this oversize and lush volume devoted solely to the species' abundant variety. Spectacular photography captures their silky petals, extraordinary colors, and extravagant forms. Lyrical verses drawn from diverse sources--ranging from the Bible to the plays of Shakespeare--accompany the images and exalt the flower. A lively introduction traces its history and culture, detailing its appearance in art and literature and offering insights into the passion orchids always arouse. Whether as a gift for someone special, or as an irresistible self-indulgence, this will surely be treasured by orchid lovers everywhere!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mae West's pithy pronouncement, "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," is one of the many quotations, including more poetic passages, that accompany a multitude of Kane's opulent photographs in a winning combination of text and image that proclaims and celebrates the intriguing radiance of orchids. Certainly the extra large format contributes to the mesmerizing impact of this volume, but the exotic flower forms that constitute the orchid family arguably reign as the most bewitching of all blooms. Scott Appell's introduction, a good read, intertwines the historical with the botanical and touches on the suggestive power of the orchid, but fervent fans of vividly colored, sublimely sculpted orchids will simply get lost in the breathtaking beauty captured by Kane's camera. Consider this dazzling ode to orchids the ultimate coffee-table flower book! Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Scott D. Appell is Director of Education for the Horticultural Society of New York, as well as a writer and lecturer. He has contributed to a number of gardening books, including the introductions for Lilies and Tulips.

Darcy Kane is a New York City-based photographer whose work appears regularly in magazines such as Garden Design, Country Gardens, and Family Circle, as well as in many books: Sanctuary: Gardening for the Soul features her photographs exclusively. Her fine art black-and-white pictures are in the permanent collections of many museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Friedman (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567997732
• ISBN-13: 978-1567997736
• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 11.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,783,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sensuous treat!, November 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Orchids (Hardcover)

Orchids get a whole new look, thanks to Dency Kane's sensuous photographs. The pictures are rich, and luscious, like a Georgia O'Keefe painting. This is a book to keep on the coffee table or to give to someone you love a lot. It's at the top of my holiday want list!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Catalogue of Errors, January 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Orchids (Hardcover)

This is one of the worst orchid books I have ever seen. It is literally a catalogue of misidentified orchids. Some of the worst examples are a Phalaenopsis species and an Epidendrum species both labled as Laeliocattleyae. In a general survey there were 8-10 identification mistakes.

As if that weren't enough, there were at least 2 pictures, meant to depict the beauty of orchids, that showed blossoms with either bruised, fading or fungus-spotted petals.

Neither inspiring nor reliable in its content.