Gene,

Ahh, here's where I am different, just a little.

I actively buy orchid books - usually 4-6 a year. The breadth of knowledge
and information found in orchid books is still unmatched, even by the
Internet. I am *constantly* referring to them as I work on my website. Just
this weekend I found an ID on a strange little plant I photographed in
Ecuador 2 years ago from my Native Ecuadorian Orchids series.

Cultural info - totally on the internet. But for checklists/references for
the flora of a region/country or an in-depth look at a particular genus,
books are still The Place To Go.

Additionally, the market for orchid books is expanding - the selection is
getting larger as the years go by. New volumes on Cuba, Mexico, Britain as
well as new treatises on Masdevallias, Coelogynes, and Dendrobiums - and
that's just from the top of my head. And I don't even pay attention to the
explosion of gaudy (to me) coffee-table books about orchids.

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org