The Manual of Cultivated
Orchid Species (Third Edition)

John Skillcorn

Author: Bechtel, Helmut; Cribb, Phillip; Launert, Edmund
Publisher: The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts
ISBN: 0-262-02339-3
Price: £59.95

The Publisher says:
The third edition of this definitive handbook of orchid cultivation includes major revisions in both text and illustrations. It adds 24 pages of colour photographs - bringing the total number of species illustrated to 864 - and 62 line drawings. The sections on taxonomy have been substantially expanded to include updated treatments of orchid biology, diversity, and classification, and descriptions of 140 genera and more than twice that number of species have been added.

Phillip Cribb is Curator of the Orchid Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Edmund Launert, formerly the Principal Scientific Officer at Kew, is now retired and works as a freelance consultant. Helmut Bechtel is a professional photographer who specializes in natural history.

From reviews of the first edition
"The authoritative text is crisply written in [a] delightfully erudite, yet easily accessible, style.... A lucid and complete section on orchid nomenclature prepares the neophyte for the onslaught of unfamiliar Latin names by explaining the scientific system for naming plants and illustrating its benefits.... Photographically, the book is a godsend to the serious orchid grower.... [A] worthy addition to any personal horticultural library and the perfect gift for an orchid-loving friend." - Joseph Levine, Horticulture

"This manual provides orchid enthusiasts with the most comprehensive description of orchid species in cultivation today. Unlike many taxonomic reference books that include only data on morphological characters and geographical distribution of the plant materials, this manual adds cultural and historical information on the genera and species described.... The descriptions and photographs of the orchid species are invaluable for the serious orchid grower." - Gary J. Wilfret, Horticultural Science

"This monumental work will remain a standard reference book for many years to come, and as an indispensable tool it belongs in the library of every professional and amateur orchidophile." - Leslie A. Garay, Curator, Orchid Herbarium, Harvard University

My comments:
I cannot better the comments made above except to say that if you ever wanted a corker of a manual on this fascinating group of plants, then this has got to be it.  It's almost the equivalent of the TFH Jewels of the Rainforest, but with the difference that this one actually works.  Although pictures form a large part of the book's make-up (150 pages of colour photographs alone out of almost 600 pages in total), by far and away the largest and most important function it performs is that of identification and cultivation.

The genera are covered one by one from the point of view of cultivation.  Composts, temperatures etc. are covered, as well as other data where appropriate.  However, it must be said that this information does tend to build on knowledge which the semi-experienced grower will have learned from prior dealings with growing these plants, and so cannot be regarded as a beginner's book.  But...

If you are looking for a book which will broaden your knowledge of orchids, their identification, their distribution and their needs in cultivation, then this substantial volume should be on your bookshelf.