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

First published in 2002, Wild Orchids of Florida was the very first field guide for this orchid-rich state, and it inspired many to try their hand at orchid hunting. Because of its overwhelming popularity and in an attempt to provide the latest developments in orchid research, native orchid expert Paul Martin Brown follows up with this newly revised and expanded edition. The guide contains 200 new points of fact, including: · more than 100 new county records established since 2002 · three recently rediscovered species that have not been seen in 100 years · two previously undocumented species, six new hybrids, and several new color forms described and illustrated for the first time · the resurrection and revalidation of the little-used genus of Gymnadeniopsis · 34 revised county distribution maps, 37 new color photos, and three new watercolors by Stan Folsom With its comprehensive yet easy-to-follow treatment, Wild Orchids of Florida remains the essential field companion for professional botanists, native plant enthusiasts, nature lovers, or anyone who wants to learn more about what's growing out in the wilds of Florida.

"In the year 1957, my wife and I were fascinated when we saw a flower of Polyrrhiza lindenii. We were greatly impressed when we learned that this amazing leafless orchid, the flower of which resembles the ghoulish ghost of a frog leaping in mid-air, was a native of our own state of Florida. We became excited over plans to find one, which we accomplished without too much trouble except for getting our feet wet. The fun we had in finding this species and the photographs we took home as lasting trophies led us from one orchid to another. This was only the beginning of a hobby which was soon to develop into a gigantic effort to find and photograph every species of orchid known to have occurred naturally in Florida, and eventually to publish this book. As years wore on, horizons widened. A second volume on the native orchids of the United States and Canada, exclusive of those species found only in the southeasternmost states contained in this volume, will follow. Many monographs on local orchid flora have appeared throughout the years. The present work has been designed first of all for orchidophiles like ourselves, be they amateur or professional. With the treatises of Morris and Eames and of Correll as basic guides, each genus is described as a separate chapter. Since the recognition of a plant by a technical description and line drawings may be difficult, especially for an amateur, a series of photographs in color has been assembled, which will provide the reader with a greater feeling of familiarity with each species, something we have always wanted to see ourselves. With very few exceptions each species has been pictured in its native habitat. Close-up portraits of individual flowers and such interesting features as roots, fruit, and unusual variations have been included."--

Here are 100 beautiful orchids that you can grow in Florida. These orchids were chosen for their beauty, ease of cultivation, and suitability to Florida's climate. Whether you are an old hand at growing orchids or are a beginner anxious to try it, you will find help here choosing the plants that will work for you, as well as help on how best to make them prosper. First you will learn about the structure of orchids; how they are named; and how to pot, water, feed, ventilate, and protect them from weather and insects. You will find you can grow them inside and outside in Florida, and some even in the ground as part of the landscape. Then you will be introduced to 100 fabulous orchids that are well-suited to Florida. You'll find answers to commonly asked questions, lists of suppliers, and a handy reference chart to plant size, flower color, bloom size, bloom time, and exposure.

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.

New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods delivers a riveting thriller that introduces an exciting addition to the pantheon of fictional sleuths. Forced into early retirement at thirty-seven, smart, attractive, and fiercely independent Major Holly Barker trades in her bars as a military cop for the badge of deputy chief of police in Orchid Beach, Florida. But below the sunny surface of this sleepy, well-to-do island town lies an evil that escalates into the cold-blooded murder of one of Holly's new colleagues. An outsider, Holly has little to go on for answers and no one to help her—except Daisy, a Doberman of exceptional intelligence and loyalty that becomes her companion and protector. The closer Holly gets to the truth, the more she knows that it'll take one smart dog with guts to sniff out this killer—before he can catch her first.

Covers 1,100 common species of orchids with descriptions, names, geographic distribution, and recommendations for successful cultivation.

This superb book presents a selection of the most exceptional orchids anywhere, all of which can be cultivated at home. But unlike other books on this topic, the text is divided by the season in which they flower, making it easy for any horticulturist to plan his or her orchid year with dazzling displays of color.Creative Homeowner Press

Two parallel love stories twist and turn around family secrets beginning with Mel whose nondescript life has a moment of renewed passion before tragedy strikes and she's unable to reveal her hidden secrets to her estranged daughter, Neev. Neev, raised by a loving foster family in Germany and educated at Oxford finds modeling a bore but joy in the other side of the camera chasing the endangered species of the tropical jungles. Her mentor, Roger Andrews, shapes her talent and her love life though she fancies a young tour guide in Africa. An amateur photographer, Jack, is in the shadows as he discovers the ghost orchid that brings all the pieces together in the mystical discovery of eternal love.