Download or read book The Orchid Thief written by Susan Orlean and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK A modern classic of personal journalism, The Orchid Thief is Susan Orlean’s wickedly funny, elegant, and captivating tale of an amazing obsession. Determined to clone an endangered flower—the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii—a deeply eccentric and oddly attractive man named John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of America’s strange flower-selling subculture, through Florida’s swamps and beyond, along with the Seminoles who help him and the forces of justice who fight him. In the end, Orlean—and the reader—will have more respect for underdog determination and a powerful new definition of passion. In this new edition, coming fifteen years after its initial publication and twenty years after she first met the “orchid thief,” Orlean revisits this unforgettable world, and the route by which it was brought to the screen in the film Adaptation, in a new retrospective essay. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. Praise for The Orchid Thief “Stylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean’s] gifts in full bloom.”—The New York Times Book Review “Fascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing.”—Los Angeles Times “Orlean’s snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures.”—The Washington Post Book World “Orlean’s gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description.”—Boston Sunday Globe “A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great.”—The Wall Street Journal

Download or read book The Book of Orchids written by Mark W. Chase and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-03-13 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of every seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid. Some are stunningly over the top; others almost inconspicuous. The Orchidaceae is the second most widely geographically distributed family, after the grasses, yet remains one of the least understood. This book will profile 600 species, representing the remarkable and unexpected diversity and complexity in the taxonomy and phylogeny of these beguiling plants, and the extraordinary means they have evolved in order to ensure the attraction of pollinators. Each species entry includes life-size photographs to capture botanical detail, as well as information on distribution, peak flowering period, and unique attributes--both natural and cultural. The result is a work which will attract and allure, much as the orchids themselves do.

Download or read book Orchid written by Jim Endersby and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-11-07 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The prize-winning history of the orchid: “an engaging and enlightening account of one of the Earth's most mythologized botanical wonders” (Richard Conniff, author of House of Lost Worlds). At once delicate, exotic, and elegant, orchids are beloved for their singular, instantly recognizable beauty. Found in nearly every climate, the many species of orchid have had varying forms of significance in countless cultures over time. Following the orchid’s journey from Ancient Greek medicine to twentieth century detective novels, science historian Jim Endersby explores the flower’s four recurring themes: science, empire, sex, and death. Orchids were a symbol of the exotic riches sought by 19th century Europeans in their plans for colonization. They became subjects of scientific scrutiny for Charles Darwin, who investigated their methods of cross-pollination. As Endersby shows, orchids—perhaps because of their extraordinarily diverse colors, shapes, and sizes—have also bloomed repeatedly in films, novels, plays, and poems, from Shakespeare to science fiction. Featuring many gorgeous illustrations from the collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Orchid: A Cultural History was awarded the Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize by the History of Science Society. It is an enchanting tale not only for gardeners and plant collectors, but anyone curious about the flower’s obsessive hold on the imagination in history, cinema, literature, and more.

Download or read book Extraordinary Orchids written by Sandra Knapp and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2021-04-02 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "First published in 2021 by the Natural History Museum, ... London."--Title page verso.

Download or read book Orchid Muse A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers written by Erica Hannickel and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2022-12-20 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Longlisted for the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award A kaleidoscopic journey into the world of nature’s most tantalizing flower, and the lives it has inspired. The epitome of floral beauty, orchids have long fostered works of art, tales of adventure, and scientific discovery. Tenacious plant hunters have traversed continents to collect rare specimens; naturalists and shoguns have marveled at orchids’ seductive architecture; royalty and the smart set have adorned themselves with their allure. In Orchid Muse, historian and home grower Erica Hannickel gathers these bold tales of the orchid-smitten throughout history, while providing tips on cultivating the extraordinary flowers she features. Consider Empress Eugenie and Queen Victoria, the two most powerful women in nineteenth-century Europe, who shared a passion for Coelogyne cristata, with its cascading, fragrant white blooms. John Roebling, builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, cultivated thousands of orchids and introduced captivating hybrids. Edmond Albius, an enslaved youth on an island off the coast of Madagascar, was the first person to hand-pollinate Vanilla planifolia, leading to vanilla’s global boom. Artist Frida Kahlo was drawn to the lavender petals of Cattleya gigas and immortalized the flower’s wilting form in a harrowing self-portrait, while more recently Margaret Mee painted the orchids she discovered in the Amazon to advocate for their conservation. The story of orchidomania is one that spans the globe, transporting readers from the glories of the palace gardens of Chinese Empress Cixi to a seedy dime museum in Gilded Age New York’s Tenderloin, from hazardous jungles to the greenhouses and bookshelves of Victorian collectors. Lush and inviting, with radiant full-color illustrations throughout, Orchid Muse is the ultimate celebration of our enduring fascination with these beguiling flowers.

Download or read book Darwin s Orchids written by Retha Edens-Meier and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-11-05 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A quorum of scientists offer reviews and results to celebrate the 150th anniversary of 'On The Various Contrivances By Which British And Foreign Orchids Are Fertilised By Insects, And On The Good Effects Of Intercrossing' (1862). Authors of the first ten chapters follow research on the pollination and breeding systems of the same orchid lineages that interested Darwin, including temperate and tropical species. Authors on the last two chapters provide information on the floral attractants and flowering systems of orchids using protocols and technologies unavailable during Darwin's lifetime.

Download or read book A History of the Orchid written by Merle A. Reinikka and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2008-11-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engaging account of humanity's growing fascination with orchids from ancient times onward, together with a biographical gallery of 50 great scientists, naturalists, and explorers who contributed to our knowledge of orchids. The nomenclature and bibliography have been updated for this edition. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.

Download or read book Orchids of Tropical America written by Joe E. Meisel and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Orchids of Tropical America is an entertaining, informative, and splendidly illustrated introduction to the orchid family for enthusiasts and newcomers seeking to learn about more than 120 widespread orchid genera. Joe E. Meisel, Ronald S. Kaufmann, and Franco Pupulin bring alive the riot of colors, extraordinary shapes, and varied biology and ecology of the principal orchid genera ranging from Mexico and the Caribbean to Bolivia and Brazil. Orchids, likely the most diverse family of plants on earth, reach their peak diversity in the tropical countries of the Western Hemisphere, including, for example, more than 2,500 species in Brazil and 4,000 in Ecuador. The book also highlights reserves in the American tropics where travelers can enjoy orchids in the wild. Whether you journey abroad to see these unique plants, raise them in your home, or admire them from afar, this book offers fascinating insights into the diversity and natural history of orchids. Beyond the plant and flower descriptions, Orchids of Tropical America is packed with informative stories about the ecology and history of each genus. Pollination ecology is given in detail, with an emphasis on how floral features distinctive to the genus are linked to interaction with pollinators. This book also features information on medicinal and commercial uses, notes on the discoverers, and relevant historical data. The easy-to-use identification system permits quick recognition of the most common orchid groups in Central and South America. Genus descriptions are given in plain language designed for a nonscientific audience but will prove highly useful to advanced botanists as well. Descriptions focus on external morphology, and great care has been taken to ensure the guide is useful in the field without reliance on microscopes or dissections. Equally valuable as a field guide, a desktop reference, or a gift, Orchids of Tropical America will make an excellent addition to any orchid lover’s library. Visit the website for this book at www.orchidsoftropicalamerica.com.

Download or read book Orchid Fever written by Eric Hansen and published by Methuen Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A true story of one of the world's strangest plants and humanity's oddest obsessions: the orchid, brought to book by the author, traveller and self-confessed orchid obsessive.

Download or read book The Scent of Scandal written by Craig Pittman and published by Florida History and Culture. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2012 Florida Book Awards, Silver Medal for Florida Non-Fiction "FANTASTIC. If I did not know most of the main players I would have thought the author had a vivid and twisted imagination."--Paul Martin Brown, author of Wild Orchids of Florida "A fascinating true story of obsession, greed, and lust for the unobtainable. Reminds me a great deal of The Maltese Falcon. This rare flower is definitely the stuff that dreams are made of."--Ace Atkins, author of Devil's Garden and Infamous "Pittman has captured the extreme competition, unique characters, and general insanity that often typify the orchid world. The Scent of Scandal exemplifies how passion and profit can overrule common sense and the law."--Scott Steward, former associate editor, North American Native Orchid Journal After its Peruvian discovery in 2002, Phragmipedium kovachii became the rarest and most sought-after orchid in the world. Prices soared to $10,000 on the black market. Then one showed up at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, where every year more than 100,000 people visit. They come for the lush landscape on Sarasota Bay and for Selby's vast orchid collection, one of the most magnificent in the world. The collision between Selby's scientists and the smugglers of Phrag. Kovachii, a rare ladyslipper orchid hailed as the most significant and beautiful new species discovered in a century, led to search warrants, a grand jury investigation, and criminal charges. It made headlines around the country, cost the gardens hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, and led to tremendous internal turmoil. Investigative journalist Craig Pittman unravels this tangled web to shine a spotlight on flaws in the international treaties governing trade in endangered wildlife--which may protect individual plants and animals in shipping but do little to halt the destruction of whole colonies in the wild. The Scent of Scandal unspools like a riveting mystery novel, stranger than anything in Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief or the film Adaptation. Pittman shows how some people can become so obsessed--with beauty, with profit, with fame--that they will ignore everything, even the law.

Download or read book Britain s Orchids written by Sean Cole and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An accessible, comprehensive and beautifully illustrated guide--the only one to cover all the orchids found in Britain and Ireland Covering more than fifty species as well as hybrids and variants, this is an engaging, intuitive and in-depth identification guide to all the orchids of Britain and Ireland at all stages of development, from first emergence through to setting seed. Drawing on the authors' extensive field experience and the latest scientific research, Britain's Orchids uses multiple techniques to help both beginner and more advanced orchid enthusiasts to identify even the trickiest plants. The book is beautifully illustrated with plates by talented artist Sarah Stribbling as well as more than 1,000 detailed, instructive and evocative photographs by the authors. Orchids have long fired the imagination with their beauty and rarity. This book aims to ignite or increase your passion for these special plants and for the conservation of their habitats, from remote mountaintops to urban wild spaces. The first book to cover all the species, subspecies and varieties, as well as hybrids, at all stages of development Lavishly illustrated with close to 100 stunning plates drawn to scale to show key identification features and more than 1,000 stunning photo showing orchids in their natural settings Simple, step-by-step system for identifying almost any orchid Up-to-date distribution maps and seasonal charts showing when each species can be seen in its various stages Special-feature identification keys that can be used on difficult plants

Download or read book Miniature Orchids written by Steven A. Frowine and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-08-16 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a 2016 revised version of this popular, highly-0 rated, but out-of-print book. Some of the most intriguing orchids are those classified as miniatures - plants that range from just an inch or two in height to a maximum of 12 inches. Steven Frowine profiles more than 300 of these gems, including representatives of some of the most popular genera. Entries include information on the plant's geographic or hybrid origin; details about the flowers; bloom season; mature size and habit; ease of culture; light and temperature requirements; recommended potting medium; history; and tips for success. The author's high-quality photographs make identification a snap and provide welcome help when you're selecting plants for your collection.

Download or read book A Passion for Orchids written by Jack Kramer and published by Prestel Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This cultural history of the orchid includes 60 colour plates of antique orchid illustrations by such botanical illustrators as Martin J. Heade, Lucien Linden and Walter Hood Fitch. Each illustration is accompanied by a brief history of the artist.

Download or read book The Orchid and the Dandelion written by W. Thomas Boyce MD and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children--and the adults who love them." --Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts. A book that offers hope and a pathway to success for parents, teachers, psychologists, and child development experts coping with difficult children. In Tom Boyce's extraordinary new book, he explores the "dandelion" child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the "orchid" child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who, given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. Boyce writes of his pathfinding research as a developmental pediatrician working with troubled children in child-development research for almost four decades, and explores his major discovery that reveals how genetic make-up and environment shape behavior. He writes that certain variant genes can increase a person's susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors. But rather than seeing this "risk" gene as a liability, Boyce, through his daring research, has recast the way we think of human frailty, and has shown that while these "bad" genes can create problems, they can also, in the right setting and the right environment, result in producing children who not only do better than before but far exceed their peers. Orchid children, Boyce makes clear, are not failed dandelions; they are a different category of child, with special sensitivities and strengths, and need to be nurtured and taught in special ways. And in The Orchid and the Dandelion, Boyce shows us how to understand these children for their unique sensibilities, their considerable challenges, their remarkable gifts.

Download or read book Orchids written by Peter Arnold and published by Rizzoli International Publications. This book was released on 1994 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Orchids" Peter Arnold The mysterious orchid has been used and admired since ancient times. Confucius praised the orchid's beauty 2500 years ago, and the ancient Greeks dried its roots for use in medicine. In medieval times, orchids were believed to have magical aphrodisiac qualities, and early herbalists thought orchids were the food of satyrs. Today the tens of thousands of orchid species that have been discovered over the centuries comprise the most varied and highly evolved family of the entire plant kingdom, and new orchid species are still being discovered in the wild. Today also, tropical forests are a source of commercial gain, with the result that many natural orchid species are presently in danger through destruction of habitat, a danger originating in Victorian times when orchid hunters scoured tropical lands for specimens of this very fashionable plant. Peter Arnold's luminous photographs are presented here along with the fascinating history of orchids, and an extensive section on growing orchids that outlines the surprisingly simple requirements for success in maintaining these exotic plants in the home or greenhouse. Lists of orchid suppliers and societies allow the hobbyist to obtain plants, tools, or advice, and guide the curious enthusiast to orchid shows and other orchid-related events. Photographer Arnold has traveled over the world photographing orchids in all of their vibrant colors and sensual, even bizarre shapes. Flowers from the most common "Cattleya" to the lesser-known species of "Dendrobium" and "Paphiopedilum" with common names such as 'Moth orchid, ' and 'Dancing Lady orchid, ' 'Bubblegum orchid, ' and 'Swan orchid' are an inspiringvisual feast, and a testament to the genius of nature. Peter Arnold's striking flower photographs have made his name internationally known. Originally a fashion photographer, Arnold has redirected his eye for dynamic form to his botanical work, which is instilled with an austere sensuality. His popular previous flower book, "Tulips," introduced Arnold's strong use of graphic design and color, and his work has been exhibited by both Ilford and Kodak. Arnold currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, and divides his time between America, Europe, and the Orient.

Download or read book The Classic Cattleyas written by A A Chadwick and published by . This book was released on 2021-01-13 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cattleyas, first introduced in 1818, are the flowers whose form and color defined the essence of tropical orchids for generations to come. This helpful and informative book describes each classic Cattleya species in fascinating detail and includes all that is required to appreciate and grow cattleyas successfully.

Download or read book Understanding Orchids written by William Cullina and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2004 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring more than 200 color photographs, "Understanding Orchids" provides readers with easy-to-follow instructions for the orchids they would like to grow.