The Orchid Book

John Skillcorn

Author: Editor J. Cullen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0-521-41856-9
Price: £45

The Publisher says:
The rich and often bizarre variety of form exhibited by orchids has long provided a fascination for amateur and professional botanists alike. Once seen as a hobby exclusively for the rich, the cultivation of orchids is now widespread and the need for an accurate and simple guide to the identification of species in cultivation has become apparent. This book aims to fulfil that need by providing botanically correct, yet easily accessible, information about this unique and exceptionally diverse group of plants.

The main part of the book is based on the text of the family Orchidaceae published in the second volume of The European Garden Flora, with the information fully updated and displayed in a revised format. Simple keys to the genera and to the species allow access to descriptions of 900 individual species that also include references to published illustrations and other useful information. Numerous line drawings of diagnostic features help to make the keys and descriptions easy to understand and use. A brief introduction covers the structural features of orchids important in identification and gives some information on cultivation and a list of general references.

My comments:
This is exactly what it says it is on the front cover - a guide to the identification of orchid species.  It is not a 'how to grow' type of book.  It is made up primarily of keys for the identification of genera and species of orchids.  

However, there are one or two pages at the beginning which do give a very rough guide as to what orchids are and how they are different to the general run of other plants.  As if you needed to know this information being the type of person who has just bought a book such as this!

These brief notes are followed by detailed keys (well illustrated with good quality line drawings) of the orchid genera.  The genera are described in some detail before going into the keys which (hopefully) lead ultimately to the identification of each species within that genus.

There are only eight pages of photographs among over 500 pages of text.  Nevertheless, there are detailed line drawings of flowers and flower parts where these are appropriate.  The section on Masdevallias, for example, is well illustrated with excellent line drawings distinctive enough to assist in identifying each species.

I would say that this is a book for the botanist/specialist rather than the average, run-of-the-mill orchid grower and is certainly not a 'coffee table' book.  Not unless you find keys utterly fascinating to wander through whenever you have a spare day or two.

I admire people who can write books like this.