Orchid Books

[Sassismom]

Does anyone have any really good orchid books to recommend, I have a few but would love some that are recommended here. I have the Ortho one.

Thanks.

[kid a]

Most of the orchid books I have I ordered from ebay. ANd two of them are wonderful huge books I got at Borders for $5. I think it is called the complete encyclopedia of orchids. Someone sent Fred one he posted a thread about it but I don't remeber what it was titled. It is a very good book with great pictures. I really just went to ebay and bid on as many as I could that were good prices and wound up with 5 pretty good books. When I get home I can list them for you. There is one in particular that was very explanative (is that a word, lol!) that I would definitely recommend. It was less than $5 on ebay I have seen some more of them listed there since I got it.

[myorchid]

I really like Orchids for Dummies. It was very helpful when I wanted to get back into orchids.

[kmarch]

Ortho's All About Orchids

[missann]

Yes, I have "Ortho's All About Orchids as well. I know you already have it, but I checked out the old 70's one from my library, and it has some more info than the newer one. Are you looking for info on how to grow them, or different kinds?

[kid a]

Hmmm..... now that I am home and have taken care of my new arrival let me pull out the books I have and let you know how helpful they are to me.

1.Taylors Guide to Orchids 1996 By Judy White isbn:0-395-67726-2; very haelpful as a beginner to understand more detailed things like lighting fertilizer and moderately detalied culture info provided. I really like this book and enjoyed it alot. I use it frequently for reference.

2. All about Orchids 1981 by Charles Marden Fitch isbn: 0-385-15848-3; Extremely deatailed info even goes into taxonomy, lovely pictures, extremly helpful to me and my learning process. I think this is my favorite book I have as far as the information provided by the text.

3. Growing Orchids 2001 by David P Banks isbn: 0-7318-0845-2; good book for a beginner covers general cuture info for popular orchids and breifly talks about basics of things like media, fertilizer, lights, temperatures, and so on. Basicaly good for general info not too detailed though. I rarely use it.

4.Time Life Encylopedia of Gardening - Orchids by Alice Skelsey; great illistrations talks about orchid "surgery" general orchid info and has several how to things. Great for how do I do this or that, wha is that? kind of stuff

5.The practical Encyclopedia of Orchids by Brian and wilma Rhitterhausen isbn: 0-681-14038-0; Awesome book, great pictures, detailed info, I use it for reference for both pictures and text. Shows how to and good info.

6. Orchids (a photography book of orchids in their natural habitats by area of the world and climate) Photos by Manuel Aubron and written by Pascal Descourvieres isbn: 978-0-755-2886-4; Wonderful photos showing growth in different biomes. This book gives some info about the particular orchids in the photos only, not really a reference book, but wonderful photos, comes with a miniature orchids book that gives care and culture info on popular types of orchids.

And that is all I have my best two recomendations would be #2 and #5. I think kthis would be a great thread cuz I a lookig out for good orchid books and am looking for more deatiled books than what I have.

Sassismom: are looking for general info or more of a detailed info book?

[Sassismom]

Kortney, I don't have any of those, but I do have a couple by the Rhitterhausens.
Missann, that's a great idea to check the library. I love the Ortho book, it's like my orchid bible.

[NicC]

I recently got 2 new books after they were reviewed in AOS Orchid magazine. If you are interested you can track down the reviews there, within last 3 or 4 issues:
1> Four Seasons of Orchids by Greg Allikas and Ned Nash.Creative Homeowners publisher $24.95 list but much less on Amazon.com.
This is a beautiful book. I keep in on the coffee table and people pick it up to look at. The concept is orchids that are prominent in each of the four seasons (I guess southeast USA) The photos are outstanding. Of particular value, however, is the care section in front of the book with detailed, clearly photographed procedures for repotting various orchids.
2>Orchids to Know and Grow by Thomas J. Sheehan and Robert J. Black. University Press of Florida. $19.95, again well discounted at Amazon.com (the two made a reasonable expenditure and was over the $25 limit for free postage)
The authors are academics. Beware! this is very much a botany text. There is more than you would generally care to know about the structure of the orchid and orchid flowers. There is also a description of the features that separates the various genera and species. I wanted to know some of this stuff (but I have a biological sciences backgound)
Both are new and information is very updated.
The Encylopediae mentioned by others seem dated. I loved the Dummies one when I was brand new and still refer to it (was belittled when I brought it with me to a local grower when I was looking for specific orchids. After he looked through it, he was accepting...dare not say impressed.)
Nick

[NicC]

to be fair to the Sheehan and Black book, there is a lot more than botany and taxonomy. There is detailed cultural information from the academic view.
Nick

[Sassismom]

I was thinking about getting the dummies one, I have a few other dummies ones that i quite like for other subjects.

[Pommom]

I have the Taylor's Guide recommented by a mutural friend of ours.
And I have the growing orchids guide By the American orchid Society.

[Sassismom]

Hey Marion, how do you like it in here, pretty cool aye?

[NicC]

If I had only 2 books to help grow orchids as a new grower they would be Dummies and the Ortho book. With those two it would be hard to go wrong.
Nick