Specialized Books

This book has been translated from Japanese. There are some really great tips, but it is very hard to follow. The text does not appear to line up with the pictures in some cases and most of the book is in black and white. It also does not seem to be sequenced well. It jumps from one topic to the next and then back again.

I recently bought a Juniper bonsai and have become very interested in these exquisite miniature plants. Bonsai is the reproduction of natural tree forms in miniature which increase in beauty and value as they mature over the years. I am now thinking about purchasing another and want to learn as much as possible about the growth and proper care for these Japanese-style miniature plantings. I browsed through bookstores and also asked a friend, who has numerous healthy bonsais, for some book suggestions. I finally purchased "Bonsai: Nature in Miniature." A few people recommended it as a bonsai book that is especially designed for beginners. It is also an excellent book to accompany a bonsai given as a present.

Kyuzo Murata and Isamu Murata have created a book filled with beautiful color photographs and drawings which provides specific, step-by-step instructions for: how to select a tree; what fertilizer to use; lighting; watering; trimming; wiring branches to form tree into desired shape, etc.. The text also emphasizes the pleasures of viewing the trees as works of art.

The selection of subjects, photography, illustrations, the writing style, all present the subject - an introduction to bonsai - in a clear and interesting fashion. Highly recommended.
JANA

This book does exactly what its title suggests. It provides very useful and simple information on ferns and their cultivation. It is not a wordy book though it has well over 500 pages. It gets straight to the essentials of ferns and their requirements. The detailed drawings are clear and very useful in helping fern enthusiasts easily identify different species of ferns. i would have loved however to see a few more pages of color photographs of ferns and more fern entries but I am sure this well written book will be updated in a few years time. The Fern Growers Manual is the best available manual for fern growers. Buy it and enter the other world of ferns - a satisfying experience for all who venture in.

This book is fantastic for the amateur or professional fern grower. It is very informative, supplying you with alot of information about how to grow them, how to take care of them, and how to recognize them. If you are looking for one book that can tell you everything and more about ferns and not need to look through any other books, than this book is for you.

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very good boo

The first half of this book are general chapters on ecology, propagation, uses, folklore, etc.; the second half consists of about 100 treatments per species. To start with the latter: if you're looking for a guide to identify tropical ferns, this is not your book. Contrary to what the title suggests the area covered is Malaysia only. Then there are too few species with too concise descriptions.
However, as an introduction to tropical ferns, especially to the Malaysion region, it /is/ a valuable book. It gives a lot of background and facts you won't easily find in other books. It's easy to read with good colour pictures. Read it before you go to Malaysia, and again after your return. But in the field you want a completer guid which, admittedly, is hard to find (try to get a copy of Holttum's Ferns of Malaya).

Gardens by the Sea: Creating a Tropical Paradise is an invaluable tool for south Florida gardeners. The photographs are helpful, not just in identification, but in illustrating many of the plants as used in real landscapes. Topics covered include tropical fruits, orchids, and palms, as well as many shrubs and trees specifically suited to the seaside. Wind and salt tolerance are factors clearly in play in this climate, and the book takes care to keep us informed on conditions in which each plant will thrive. As a bonus, the book is beautifully photographed and gives us glimpses over the hedges into some beautiful Palm Beach gardens.

Palm Beach Garden Club put out this book to give those who love gardening and creating a special tropical retreat in their own backyards. The photos are ok as it would be nicer if they showed the landscaping use of the plants in some photos instead of showing the plant so you see what it looks like. Excellent resource for those in South Florida. However, Tropical Gardens and Tropical Plants by William Warren are far better. Yet for the neophite this book isn't bad--I found it a useful reference as long as you don't take the advise from the orchid section

Plant biology for the beginning horticulture student. A broad survey of topics a horticulture student should know something about, including genetics, plant anatomy and biology, botanical terminology, basic techniques of propagation and culture, etc. If you have studied botany, plant physiology and general biology, you don't need this book. I work in landscaping and found the book short on practical information that is specific to horticulture.

I find the product very, very good because it answers all my questions about the horticulture.

This book gives a thorought and detailed account into the latest in the imaging modalities that are used in current practice. Having read this book, it also provided good clinical background information into the modalities. A good buy for the budding technologist who is on to do specialized procedures in the later part of their career.

al-nawawi's manual of islam is a translation of 'al maqasid fi bayan ma yajibu ma'rifun min al-din' of the imam yahya ibn sharaf al-nawawi, the great 11th century legal authority of the late shafi'i school of jurisprudence. the main text covers the basics of daily worship and belief for the worshiper in islam with brevity and conciseness. the translator has also added several appendices that cover some important areas of controversy in modern religious circles including; 'a warning against careless accusations of unbelief' and 'why legal scholars differ'.

the main text is also notable for the imam's specific inclusion of a chapter on tasawwuf, which has come to be known in the west as 'sufism' this is important in many respects. not the least of which is a demonstration of how in contradistinction to many orientalist narratives, the major orthodox ulema were not 'in opposition to sufism' but were on the contrary, proponents and disseminators of 'islamic spirituality'. for instance, there are the well-known works of the imam abu hamid al-ghazali as well as the imam ibn hajar asqalani, whose main commentary on the authentic, 'sahih' hadith collection of imam al-bukhari contains explicit reference to sufi personalities and indeed uses the great 'boogie-word' for 'fundamentalists'...'sufi'.

Everything you need to know to successfully grow desert flowers, with hundreds featured. Maybe it's me, but the small, separated flip pages featuring each flower are really hard to maneuver. I've yet to figure out why this page style was chosen. Has beautiful illustrations. A must-have book for any Arizona low desert gardener.

Asturias, written by Brian Caswell, shows the typical dream of an aussie teenager in a realistic way. Five teenagers form a band and during their rise to fame experience many problems. But the friendships they form as a result of this band proves to be stronger than any problems which arise. This book is a great read for teenagers in todays society and would also suit older people.

Ever since a magazine article I read I've always been fascinated by earth covered houses. The basic idea is that by putting at least 1yd/1m of earth on the roof and walls, you will dramatically improve insulation.

This book outlines all the major steps in designing and building an earth covered house. They go from site selection to house layout and then on to surrounding features. Every statement is backed up by large quantities of data and references. But the data is always just there to back up the text and never becomes truly overwhelming.

So if the idea of an earth covered house intrigues you this is an ideal book to start with.