Palm books

[happypalms]

They say  look at someone’s book collection and you can get a pretty good idea about that person obviously iam a palm nut in the days before the internet (I only started to  google about 10 years ago) there was a thing called books information was a bit limited so you had to do research with a book then you had to find the books with the content you wanted I still use my books it’s nice to read them and it’s better than having a pixel addiction with a flat screen also you can learn a lot from books it’s a different feeling holding a book instead of looking at a screen 📺 

[GMann]

Looks like you are missing Paul Craft's book on the Palms of Cuba. Great book!

[SeanK]

A larger stack than mine.

1. Betrock's Guide to Landscape Palms

2. Palms Around the World (Jones)

3. The Tropical Look (RLR)

[happypalms]

  On 9/20/2023 at 2:02 PM, GMann said:

Looks like you are missing Paul Craft's book on the Palms of Cuba. Great book!

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There’s another book on palms I will definitely have to get that 😁

[happypalms]

  On 9/20/2023 at 2:09 PM, SeanK said:

A larger stack than mine.

1. Betrock's Guide to Landscape Palms

2. Palms Around the World (Jones)

3. The Tropical Look (RLR)

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The tropical look is a great book got that one  betrocks will have to get that one for sure 🙏 palms around the world I have as well plus many others 

[Brandon39.5]

I've just got two palm books, not much, but I’m new to the palm hobby. Any suggestions on other books? Palms in Australia looks interesting

[happypalms]

  On 9/20/2023 at 8:02 PM, Brandon39.5 said:

I've just got two palm books, not much, but I’m new to the palm hobby. Any suggestions on other books? Palms in Australia looks interesting

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An encyclopaedia of cultivated palms Rifle and Craft the palm growers bible Donald R Hodel books The tropical look book The palms of Madagascar 

[meridannight]

I also prefer to read books very much.

I bet that Genera Palmarum is one of the best books on the subject. It's been on my wishlist for a few years now, and would have got it if the price tag wouldn't be 140+ euros!


 

[kinzyjr]

I've added a few since then, but this photo from 2018 shows a few of my favorites:

Original post: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/31399-must-have-books/

[Tom in Tucson]

I own most of the books you've shown. I also have:

The 2nd edition of Riffle and Craft An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms

with many new photos, but some important text was omitted

The Palms of Madagascar

A '95 publication - amazingly done. I read somewhere a new edition is forthcoming

Loulu by Don Hodel - who doesn't like Prithchardia ?

The Palms of Cuba by Craft - well worth adding to your library

The Cycads by Whitelock and Benadom - both volumes

Whitelock's book + some newer information after Whitelock passed away

Hi 95˚, Lo 64˚

 

[happypalms]

  On 9/20/2023 at 8:48 PM, happypalms said:

An encyclopaedia of cultivated palms Rifle and Craft the palm growers bible Donald R Hodel books The tropical look book The palms of Madagascar 

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Also any book by taschen not just palm books 

[happypalms]

Here’s a few more I have iam pretty sure I have a few more as well in the bookcase the compendium ones are an absolute must have 

[happypalms]

  On 9/21/2023 at 3:58 AM, Tom in Tucson said:

I own most of the books you've shown. I also have:

The 2nd edition of Riffle and Craft An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms

with many new photos, but some important text was omitted

The Palms of Madagascar

A '95 publication - amazingly done. I read somewhere a new edition is forthcoming

Loulu by Don Hodel - who doesn't like Prithchardia ?

The Palms of Cuba by Craft - well worth adding to your library

The Cycads by Whitelock and Benadom - both volumes

Whitelock's book + some newer information after Whitelock passed away

Hi 95˚, Lo 64˚

 

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I have a brand new never opened palms of Madagascar plus one I read Whitlocks book is rare in Australia Don hodel has some good books 

[Palmarum]

  On 9/20/2023 at 9:09 AM, happypalms said:

They say  look at someone’s book collection and you can get a pretty good idea about that person obviously iam a palm nut in the days before the internet (I only started to  google about 10 years ago) there was a thing called books information was a bit limited so you had to do research with a book then you had to find the books with the content you wanted I still use my books it’s nice to read them and it’s better than having a pixel addiction with a flat screen also you can learn a lot from books it’s a different feeling holding a book instead of looking at a screen 📺 ...

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Books are still the way to go for palm and plant info. They provide the key source for research and the basis for all other forms of media that feed the palm world. Even older and outdated material can be useful as they can show the history behind a species' entry into nomenclature and cultivation. Being able to match up old descriptions with certain authors and cross-referencing common and locality names has allowed me to solve some pesky botanical mysteries.

Your collection has many of the great titles including a few I don't have. Whenever I think my library is (or is told that it is) "a lot" I find someone with an even greater one. I recently got a batch of tropical fruit tree books I've been going through and also re-reading cycad titles while trying to identify an unnamed plant.

I like to design and build quirky and ornate bookshelves just to better organize and display the books.  A hobby within a passion I suppose.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

  On 9/20/2023 at 2:02 PM, GMann said:

Looks like you are missing Paul Craft's book on the Palms of Cuba. Great book!

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Agreed. It is a must for anyone interested in Coccothrinax and Copernicia species.

Ryan

[happypalms]

  On 9/21/2023 at 10:00 AM, Palmarum said:

Books are still the way to go for palm and plant info. They provide the key source for research and the basis for all other forms of media that feed the palm world. Even older and outdated material can be useful as they can show the history behind a species' entry into nomenclature and cultivation. Being able to match up old descriptions with certain authors and cross-referencing common and locality names has allowed me to solve some pesky botanical mysteries.

Your collection has many of the great titles including a few I don't have. Whenever I think my library is (or is told that it is) "a lot" I find someone with an even greater one. I recently got a batch of tropical fruit tree books I've been going through and also re-reading cycad titles while trying to identify an unnamed plant.

I like to design and build quirky and ornate bookshelves just to better organize and display the books.  A hobby within a passion I suppose.

Ryan

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You’re words are so true look at a university lecturer he will have a stack of reference books for all to learn from the internet is good in certain situations and applications but for real research books are the go after all they been around for thousands of years humankind history has been documented in writing cross references with books will always have a place and shall remain so I don’t see the internet being as good as they say in future after all it was created for war communication more people are putting the phone down and reading books after what the world has been through technology has its advantages and disadvantages I guess in moderation technology works but for me a book any day is much better I always wanted a library of books now I have an ever increasing one it’s my university at home happy reading and gardening  Ryan 🌱

[SeanK]

  On 9/20/2023 at 7:47 PM, happypalms said:

The tropical look is a great book got that one  betrocks will have to get that one for sure 🙏 palms around the world I have as well plus many others 

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The Riffle book is a great parlour book. The kind you leave out for visitors to thumb through.

[Looking Glass]

I don’t have a ton of palm or gardening books, but I have some.   These days, so much information is on the internet, and so many books are geared toward classification and taxonomy, gather than practical information for growing things.  

The first gardening book I read that got me oriented to South Florida and tropical, rather than temperate, vegetation was Pamela Crawford’s Easy Gardens for South Florida.  It’s a basic landscaping book geared toward growing and plant selection in this area.  A great starting point if you lived in Zone 5a/b all of your life, and now are dropped in Zone 10b/11a and are totally disoriented with your eyeballs popping out of your head.   Helped me so much early on.   Talks about the common palms, but also about all the other hardy plants, from trees to accent plants to shrubs to ground covers, needed to build a complete garden down here.   

Palms of Cuba by Craft, is a great book for just getting you oriented to Cuban palms in general, especially if you are not that familiar.  Another life-changer that gets you thinking about how to use these specific and sometimes overlooked palms in the landscape.   

[happypalms]

  On 9/21/2023 at 2:07 PM, Looking Glass said:

I don’t have a ton of palm or gardening books, but I have some.   These days, so much information is on the internet, and so many books are geared toward classification and taxonomy, gather than practical information for growing things.  

The first gardening book I read that got me oriented to South Florida and tropical, rather than temperate, vegetation was Pamela Crawford’s Easy Gardens for South Florida.  It’s a basic landscaping book geared toward growing and plant selection in this area.  A great starting point if you lived in Zone 5a/b all of your life, and now are dropped in Zone 10b/11a and are totally disoriented with your eyeballs popping out of your head.   Helped me so much early on.   Talks about the common palms, but also about all the other hardy plants, from trees to accent plants to shrubs to ground covers, needed to build a complete garden down here.   

Palms of Cuba by Craft, is a great book for just getting you oriented to Cuban palms in general, especially if you are not that familiar.  Another life-changer that gets you thinking about how to use these specific and sometimes overlooked palms in the landscape.   

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Palms of Cuba I shall have to try and get but as for zone 5 I would just give up I lived in canada Manitoba (Teulon) and omg I couldn’t believe the garden choice for plants and the growing conditions plus how cold it got iam clearly a subtropical guy yes the internet has its place we are using it now to talk about plants with each other books can take up a lot of space in todays world of ocd disorders but give me a good book any day 

[tropicbreeze]

I've got a few palm books but they only form a small part of my specialised collection covering a very diverse range of topics. However, it's becoming increasingly easy to just jump onto the computer and consult Dr Google. Of course caveat there, Dr Google can churn out a lot of garbage along with the good. You need to put some effort into "separating the wheat from the chaff".

With books most of that is done before the book is published. But then it becomes frozen in time. What are sometimes described as variations in a species later become subspecies, or even separate species. Things are always changing. That doesn't matter to some people, but to others it does. If you're only interested in gardening a scientific name change isn't going to somehow change your plant or its requirements.

[Tom in Tucson]

If you can find any of the old books by David Fairchild at a used book store, they are full of interesting observations on palms, and other tropical plants.

Another old book worth finding is Fantastic Trees by Edwin A. Menninger.

The photos are black and white, but it has always been one of my favorite books about exotic flora.

And finally, the book that really got me interested in palms: Palms of the World by James Mccurrach '60 has only black and white photos, but many of them like the ones from Gentes Herbarum are very clear, and are good to use for an ID.

Hi 96˚, Lo 68˚

[happypalms]

  On 9/22/2023 at 3:26 AM, Tom in Tucson said:

If you can find any of the old books by David Fairchild at a used book store, they are full of interesting observations on palms, and other tropical plants.

Another old book worth finding is Fantastic Trees by Edwin A. Menninger.

The photos are black and white, but it has always been one of my favorite books about exotic flora.

And finally, the book that really got me interested in palms: Palms of the World by James Mccurrach '60 has only black and white photos, but many of them like the ones from Gentes Herbarum are very clear, and are good to use for an ID.

Hi 96˚, Lo 68˚

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Good books are rare in my area but I always keep an eye out for them palms of the world book I do have the IPS used to have a good source of books but I have all the ones that they have for sale now with international postage costs it can become quite expensive now to import books before the internet I used to write letters to book companies to source many good books in regional areas  ost good book stores have closed because of the internet 

[kinzyjr]

  On 9/20/2023 at 9:42 PM, kinzyjr said:

I've added a few since then, but this photo from 2018 shows a few of my favorites:

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A more recent photo:

[happypalms]

  On 9/23/2023 at 4:26 AM, kinzyjr said:

A more recent photo:

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Nice collection D L Jones is a great book the encyclopaedia is my bible go to book and I see your into Florida books happy reading I think the word book worm would suit us both 

[kinzyjr]

  On 9/23/2023 at 5:04 AM, happypalms said:

Nice collection D L Jones is a great book the encyclopaedia is my bible go to book and I see your into Florida books happy reading I think the word book worm would suit us both 

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Yes, and after looking at screens all day, it is refreshing to read without looking at a smartphone or a computer monitor as others have mentioned above.  When Lakeland had a Barnes and Noble, I used to spend a lot of time in there just reading books about various topics.  This is roughly 1/6th of the books in my small shelf, but the rest are primarily about topics in the technology industry and physical fitness.

[ASHCVS]

 

My collection of first editions all signed by David Fairchild. 🌴🌴🌴

[happypalms]

  On 9/24/2023 at 3:29 AM, ASHCVS said:

 

My collection of first editions all signed by David Fairchild. 🌴🌴🌴

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 Nice selection of books and signed as well one to hand onto the kids or grandchildren 👍

[MikeB]

I used to pour over the black and white pictures in McCurrach's book Palms Of The World.  At one time it was pretty much the only thing out there.  Then the IPS bookstore started selling Supplement To Palms Of The World by Arthur Langlois.  Again all black and white photos.  Keith Boyer's book Palms And Cycads Beyond The Tropics was so informative for us growing in marginal climates like the Bay Area in California.  He had cold hardiness information.  There are appendices with lists of palms we had no chance of getting back then.  Mr. Boyer came to San Francisco in 1996 and gave a great talk about palms and his book to a very crowded room.  There is a beautiful photo of Syagrus romanzoffiana with Iguazu Falls in the background on the cover.  Don Hodel's Chamaedorea Palms book divides the genus into subgenera showing which species are closely related.  If you are interested in hybridization this is great information.  Now we have a wealth of information with so many great books and of course the internet.

[MikeB]

This book was shown before but I want to mention that it is unusual in that it lists all the then known species from the Americas.  Along with descriptions it has individual maps for every species showing where they grow in situ and at what elevation.  There are color pics too. Great book with great info.

[ASHCVS]

 

With registration now open for the New Caledonia biennial, I thought I should share my collection of significant palm books for that fabled island. Notice all are by titans of palm botany. This will be a good reading assignment for me in anticipation of viewing many of these species in habitat next year!

[happypalms]

  On 9/29/2023 at 3:13 AM, MikeB said:

This book was shown before but I want to mention that it is unusual in that it lists all the then known species from the Americas.  Along with descriptions it has individual maps for every species showing where they grow in situ and at what elevation.  There are color pics too. Great book with great info.

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Yes iti# a great book I often go through it with all the new palms coming out of South America it’s a great research book 

[happypalms]

  On 9/29/2023 at 7:33 AM, ASHCVS said:

 

With registration now open for the New Caledonia biennial, I thought I should share my collection of significant palm books for that fabled island. Notice all are by titans of palm botany. This will be a good reading assignment for me in anticipation of viewing many of these species in habitat next year!

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I don’t have Allertonia but the other two I have they are both excellent resource books 

[happypalms]

  On 9/29/2023 at 2:50 AM, MikeB said:

I used to pour over the black and white pictures in McCurrach's book Palms Of The World.  At one time it was pretty much the only thing out there.  Then the IPS bookstore started selling Supplement To Palms Of The World by Arthur Langlois.  Again all black and white photos.  Keith Boyer's book Palms And Cycads Beyond The Tropics was so informative for us growing in marginal climates like the Bay Area in California.  He had cold hardiness information.  There are appendices with lists of palms we had no chance of getting back then.  Mr. Boyer came to San Francisco in 1996 and gave a great talk about palms and his book to a very crowded room.  There is a beautiful photo of Syagrus romanzoffiana with Iguazu Falls in the background on the cover.  Don Hodel's Chamaedorea Palms book divides the genus into subgenera showing which species are closely related.  If you are interested in hybridization this is great information.  Now we have a wealth of information with so many great books and of course the internet.

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Ye# all good books try and get the one by jack krempin a great Australian author 

[Cindy Adair]

  On 9/24/2023 at 3:29 AM, ASHCVS said:

 

My collection of first editions all signed by David Fairchild. 🌴🌴🌴

 
 

I am so jealous Andy! 

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I am working on getting autographs on some of my well loved palm books.

So far I only have Paul Craft and John Dransfield’s signatures, but if room in my luggage maybe I will take my already ordered New Guinea book to ask Bill Baker to sign it in New Cal?

”Designing with Palms” has so far been too substantial to fit in my normal carry on only luggage.

Early this year I assembled IKEA glass fronted bookshelves to cover three walls of my second bedroom/library.

Closed door view:

Much less dust now and room to organize all my palm magazines too!

Door open view below:

Many other non palm plant books not photographed…

[happypalms]

  On 9/29/2023 at 7:56 PM, Cindy Adair said:

I am working on getting autographs on some of my well loved palm books.

So far I only have Paul Craft and John Dransfield’s signatures, but if room in my luggage maybe I will take my already ordered New Guinea book to ask Bill Baker to sign it in New Cal?

”Designing with Palms” has so far been too substantial to fit in my normal carry on only luggage.

Early this year I assembled IKEA glass fronted bookshelves to cover three walls of my second bedroom/library.

Closed door view:

Much less dust now and room to organize all my palm magazines too!

Door open view below:

Many other non palm plant books not photographed…

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Hi Cindy a nice collection of books you have it seems there are still a lot more intellectual people out there still another great Australian author is jack krempin popular palms good luck with your signature collection I guess a digital signature is out of the question books will always be around no matter what 

[qalsua]

Your book collection looks great! Right now, I'm sticking to the internet and pixels 🙂, but I'm planning to buy the Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms by Robert Lee Riffle soon. I read somewhere that it's pretty good.

[Harry’s Palms]

Wow , I only have 3 Palm books . I guess I am behind on my reading! I have the pocket guide by Martin Gibbons,  Palms by David Jones , and Palms and Cycads of the World by Lynnette Stewart.The last book was given to me by my friend who started my journey . He managed a local nursery where I bought a lot of my seedlings . Another collector had given it to him but he already had a copy. Some of the names have changed on these palms since publication but the information and pictures are amazing. Harry

[happypalms]

  On 2/6/2024 at 1:32 PM, Harry’s Palms said:

Wow , I only have 3 Palm books . I guess I am behind on my reading! I have the pocket guide by Martin Gibbons,  Palms by David Jones , and Palms and Cycads of the World by Lynnette Stewart.The last book was given to me by my friend who started my journey . He managed a local nursery where I bought a lot of my seedlings . Another collector had given it to him but he already had a copy. Some of the names have changed on these palms since publication but the information and pictures are amazing. Harry

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Start collecting them now there are some fantastic books out there much better than the internet that being said there are so many new palms out now the books need to be revised either that or new ones written it would take a lot of research now so the internet wins hands down as far as new palms go books have been around for thousands of years I don’t think they are in danger of extinction yet like many a palm is