The Orchids of Mexico and Guatemala is a lavishly illustrated orchid classic from the mid-19th century. This book describes an orchid expedition and the adventures that collectors experienced in the New World. Forty orchids are featured with beautiful full color illustrations. This book is a revised and expanded edition of the original 1843 edition. Originally, only royalty and the wealthiest men in Europe could purchase this book. Now it is available to every orchid enthusiast.

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.

Presents the history and significance of some of the most important works held by the renowned New York City library, including handwritten manuscripts, botanical artworks, herbals, explorer's notebooks, and nineteenth-century media.

Comprising some 28,000 different species, orchids are by far the largest flowering plant family on Earth. Every year, new species are being uncovered in the wild or created by humans, and so this number has only continued to blossom. This book is intended for those who wish to learn about the multifaceted nature of this amazing plant. It covers many different aspects of orchid study, from its cultural history to its evolutionary development and from its first discoveries to ongoing scientific research. No matter your specialty or level of orchid expertise, you can find in this book new and fascinating facts and stories that will make you gasp, laugh, and read on. Through the many exotic and beautiful pictures permeating these pages, you will come to know something of the infinite diversity of this plant family and at last learn why so many orchid growers and fanatics have embarked on this same endless path. “I was smitten with this book after reading the very first chapter on the history of Orchids...There are plenty of interesting facts to charm your orchid friends and impress even the most studied researcher... All in all a fabulous read that is well illustrated and with a reference section the likes of which I have never seen before with its vast and varied appendices on a slew of subjects. If you are looking for a book that is engaging and educational with lots of good humor thrown in, then this book is for you. I know that I will treasure my copy for years to come.” -- Laura Newton, American Orchid Society Awards Registrar and Accredited Judge, ORCHIDS Magazine (May, 2018) "Joel L. Schiff brings to life not just the science surrounding orchids, but the human process of recognizing, cataloging, and appreciating them...It's this approach, combined with lovely close-up color photos throughout, which makes Rare and Exotic Orchids a recommendation not just for professionals or botany libraries, but for general-interest readers who will enjoy a highly accessible study that invites an in-depth interest in orchids and their importance to human affairs."-- Diane Donovan’s Pick of the Month (April, 2018)

Introduction: imagining orchids -- Censored origins -- The lesbian boy -- The uses of orchids -- Red book, black flower -- Utopian botany -- The signature of all things -- The name of the orchid -- Making a family -- A second Adam -- Artificial to natural -- Myths of orchids -- Orchidmania -- The blooming aristocracy -- Orchis bank -- Every trifling detail -- Beautiful contrivances -- The scramble for orchids -- Lost orchids -- Cannibal tales -- Savage orchids -- Long purples and a forked radish -- Queer flowers -- Creation and consolation -- Sexy orchids -- Boy's own orchids -- Manly orchids -- Frail orchids -- Deceptive orchids -- Orchids in orbit -- Endangered orchids -- Fragile specialists -- The spider orchids of Sussex -- Conclusion: an orchid's-eye view?

This volume provides the origins and meanings of the names of genera and species of extant vascular plants, with the genera arranged alphabetically from D to L.

One of the most important British graphic artists of the nineteenth century, George Cruikshank (1792-1878) illustrated over 860 books, including several by Charles Dickens, and produced a vast number of etchings, paintings, and caricatures. The ten essays collected here first appeared in a special limited edition. In a new preface written for this paperback edition, Robert Patten shows how the insights of these seminal essays have been amplified by recent exhibitions and scholarship. The introduction by John Fowles has been retained and an index has been added. In addition to the many Cruikshank illustrations reproduced in the volume, there are original drawings by contemporary artists David Levine and Ronald Searle.