Eric, I'm with you.

I probably buy about half a dozen books a year and subscribe to 6 journals
(yes, including Orchids!).

I am much more selective with what I buy these days compared to when I first
started growing orchids when I used to buy every book that found its way to
my local book stores (before the days of the Internet). I have quite a
collection of "orchids for beginners" predominantly from Australian, US and
UK authors but also some now out of print classics. As my knowledge
improved I became more selective in what books interested me. Nowadays, I
can surf the Internet at my leisure comparing prices at Timber Press, Barnes
and Nobel, Amazon, Orchidaceous Books, Kew Bookstore etc, and reading online
reviews/comments.

I still get a great thrill when the latest parcel from Amazon arrives.
There is nothing like sitting down with a beautiful book and digesting its
contents. Must say, I can't resist going into second hand books stores just
in case I find a gem of an orchid book. Have found some lovely old books
doing this.

Long live books!

cheers
~John




"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
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