Of Men and Orchids - Volume 2

Allmendingen, Switzerland: Published by the author, 2017. NEW. Very well illustrated, quarto, pp 312, black cloth, a very good copy in dustwrapper. LIMITED EDITION OF 250 COPIES ONLY. A heavy book - extra postage will probably be necessary. ["This is neither a book on how humans grow orchids nor a treatise of how they classsify plants, but an extraordinary look at the bond that unites men - botanists, gardeners, plant hunters, explorers - to the names of orchids and the histories behind their discovery and scientific apprehension. The work is a great step into the realm of history, and orchids are the perfect excuse to expose the efforts, the courage and bravery, the ambition and jealousies, and the indomitable will of those men in the flesh who have made it possible to discover and name the amazing diversity of plants. Each of the 36 chapters that compose the volume tell the story of an orchid (or a few orchids) and a man, beginning with Acanthephippium sylhetense and George King, ending with Ticoglossum krameri and the three Kramers, going through complete biographical sketches of the protagonists and discussing the sometimes complex taxonomy of the concerned orchid species. You will find very acknowledged names in plant history, like William Saunders, Fredericl Welwitsch and James Edward Smith, but you will also be surprised at finding several less known names who compose the extraordinary story of orchidology - Parish, Pittier, Walter Hill, William Brass are just a few of the many characters that are presented in the book, together with the orchids that immortalize their names" ].. First Edition. Cloth. New/New. Privately Printed.