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Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:41 am
by Chris L
Somebody made a comment on one of the zoom talks the other week about wanting to know info about a book. It made me realise that a lot of newer people to the hobby may not know what books are out there to buy to help them study the plants.
I've put a list together a tentative list of books I know about, but I need help with the succulents - particularly those about things like Aloes and such like. I think I've got a pretty good list of cacti books.
http://manchester.bcss.org.uk/home/shor ... ety-pages/
To get on the list the books need to be about about specific genera, or are technical in some way. I want to avoid listing dozens of "how to grow cacti and succulent" books, though we could have a section for that if people suggest good books.
Happy to hear any additions if people can think of them.
Thanks.
Any
useful links to websites are also welcome. Think of it as a "bookmark" page, rather than being exhaustive like the cactus-mall pages.
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:30 am
by Terry S.
Conophytum - Bradleyas 6 - 9 for Hammer's check list and also his first book"The Genus Conophytum a Conograph"
Lithops - there are two main Des Cole books, Nel's Lithops
Mesembs - Herre "Genera of the Mesembryanthemaceae, Van Jaarsveld "Vyjies", six authors "Mesembs of the World", Schwantes "Flowering Stones" is still a good read.
Crassulaceae - Tolken's two volume Crassula and one volume SA Crassulaceae; van Jaarsveld "Tylecodons and Cotyledons"; Tribble et al's "Adromischus"
Haworthia group - Bayer's three books and updates at Astroworthia (corrected: Alsterworthia). Scott book is hardly worth recommending
Gasteria - van Jaarsveld monograph
Aloes - Reynold's two books on the genus
Asclepiads - Bruyns's two volume book (I think he has a recent Euphorbia book too)
White & Slone; White Slone and Dyer
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:03 am
by habanerocat
I've been looking for a good book on Agaves.
I know A Gallery Of Agaves is out there but it's very expensive.
So I'd be interested to hear of any recommendations here.
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:36 am
by Paul D
A few more:
Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA, by R. F. Dicht and A. D. Lüthy (Springer, 2005)
Sulcorebutien, Kleinode aus Bolivien, by Willi Gertel and Wolfgang Latin (in German; loads of photographs; DKG, 2010)
Sulcorebutia 2008, by Ladislav Horáček
Sulcorebutia 2020, by Ladislav Horáček
These last two need to be taken together really; 2008 gives a summary of known species recognised by the author to date, and 2020 adds to these with expansions and new discovered species.
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 12:01 pm
by Terry S.
Interesting that Pilbeam's Agave book is regarded as very expensive at £39. I would say that this was somewhere near the median for succulent plant books on specific genera or group of genera, many cost a lot more. The problem is that such books have very small print runs, typically 1000 - 2000, rarely more. So they are always going to be a lot more expensive than a popular novel or Obama's book which is probably selling in millions. There is an additional problem when a book becomes out of print and a new interest developed in the genus as with Hammer's cono books, which are very expensive by any standards on the second-hand market.
Most BCSS branches used to maintain libraries, but many of these have disappeared over the years as people have turned to on-line resources. But good books take a lot of beating, particularly when written by somebody who has specialised in the particular area about which they are writing. Information on-line is very hit and miss. I have learned never to accept the name on an image without checking it out.
Anyway, one variegated Agave could cost a lot more than the book!
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:01 pm
by HaoBao
What is the society’s opinion on free ‘downloaded’ books?
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:30 pm
by habanerocat
Terry S. wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 12:01 pm
Interesting that Pilbeam's Agave book is regarded as very expensive at £39. I would say that this was somewhere near the median for succulent plant books on specific genera or group of genera, many cost a lot more. The problem is that such books have very small print runs, typically 1000 - 2000, rarely more. So they are always going to be a lot more expensive than a popular novel or Obama's book which is probably selling in millions. There is an additional problem when a book becomes out of print and a new interest developed in the genus as with Hammer's cono books, which are very expensive by any standards on the second-hand market.
Most BCSS branches used to maintain libraries, but many of these have disappeared over the years as people have turned to on-line resources. But good books take a lot of beating, particularly when written by somebody who has specialised in the particular area about which they are writing. Information on-line is very hit and miss. I have learned never to accept the name on an image without checking it out.
Anyway, one variegated Agave could cost a lot more than the book!
You've sold me on the Agave book.
Have you ever considered putting a book together yourself?
You must have some amount of material already.
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:44 pm
by Phil_SK
Aiko wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:35 pm
In that case, I will let a moderator remove my post and your comments to it.
Done. That'll have everyone wondering!
HaoBao wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:01 pm
What is the society’s opinion on free ‘downloaded’ books?
Not speaking for the Society but where the publisher and author have authorised this, I can't see a problem. The only simple way to find out if this is the case, for C&S books, is to check what the copyright status is in
https://cactuspro.com/biblio/en:accueil If you find a pdf to something that isn't in the C&SDL it's probably not authorised!
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:50 pm
by Phil_SK
E&N Sarnes, Austrocactus 2015. I want to know how they managed to produce it for €12.50 +p&p!
Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:51 pm
by Aiko
The genus Lachenalia by Graham Duncam is very nice if you are into these African bulbs.
A bit pricey, but with some luck you might still find a cheaper copy than 150+ euro / GBP.
Phil_SK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:44 pm
Aiko wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:35 pm
In that case, I will let a moderator remove my post and your comments to it.
Done. That'll have everyone wondering!
Thanks.