Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

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Chris L
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Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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. (tu) :grin:

Any useful links to websites are also welcome. Think of it as a "bookmark" page, rather than being exhaustive like the cactus-mall pages.
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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
Last edited by Terry S. on Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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.
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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.
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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!
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post by HaoBao »

What is the society’s opinion on free ‘downloaded’ books?
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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.
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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! :lol:
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!
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post by Phil_SK »

E&N Sarnes, Austrocactus 2015. I want to know how they managed to produce it for €12.50 +p&p!
Phil Crewe, BCSS 38143. Mostly S. American cacti, esp. Lobivia, Sulcorebutia and little Opuntia
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Re: Lists of books and useful pages (info and help wanted, please)

Post 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! :lol:
Thanks.
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