Peter Books

I read this in preparation for my own trip to southern Africa. Peter Stark is a wonderful writer with humble authenticity and believable emotional descriptions. He captured the insecurities of the community he traveled with and was quite honest about his own fears. I plan to read more of his work.

book in excellent condition

Pilots say that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. The same might be said of "wilderness adventure". Peter Stark walked away from a trip down an untraversed African river, but it was a close thing. Dumped in the river, beset by crocodiles, hippos, a black mamba and a dodgy stomach, Stark lived to relate his tale. He tells it well, with all the passion of a survivor. A map and photographs, and even a bibliography provide visual accents to the narrative. With no small research flavouring the account, the story is an exciting read.

Stark was contacted by a lady in Botswana to be the "recorder" of a "first". Cherri Briggs, an "adventure company" owner, wanted to descend the Lugenda River in Mozambique. Briggs was assembling a kayaking team to make the first trip down an unknown tributary of the Rovumba which empties into the Indian Ocean. Having made a hasty survey flight, Briggs told Stark that there were rapids but their skill level was unknown. Although at forty-eight years old and with a family, Stark shed his misgivings to join the team. Four other men had been recruited for a journey that would prove the need for care in selecting exploration teams.

Travelling by canoe or kayak, even in company, offers opportunity for introspection and reflection. In company, perhaps such travel demands it. Stark, no stranger to wilderness travel, had years of canoe experience. Clashes with leaders of the expedition were inevitable. Wilderness travel in case such as this can mean many have "leadership" roles. In this case, Cherri was the expedition leader, but Clinton took the lead in finding the best kayak path. "Following the leader" in one instance led Stark to the edge of a ten-metre waterfall. Truly, one false move would have had him "at the mercy of the river". His experience got him and his partner out of difficulty, but it was a close thing. It eroded the relationship between Stark and Clinton. The breach was patched, however and the trip continued. Hardly, however, uneventfully.

Stark was a newcomer to Africa, most of his wilderness trips taking place in North America. He had much to learn, and tried earnestly to do so. The book is spiced with personalities and accounts of African exploration. From the fabled trips of Ibn Battuta to Dr Livingstone, Stark explains how outsiders entered the African scene over the centuries. "Discovery", conquest, wealth and religion all played their various roles, sometimes intermingled. Stark's use of these stories is unusual. Most of them are presented as if he's suddenly driven to remember them while otherwise unoccupied. They make wonderful reading, but their contribution to the Lugenda journey is nil. That's not really a flaw, since the purpose of the book is as much Stark's personal discoveries as is the river passage. The one map and many photographs add further sparkle to this lively account. It's worth your time for its information, its glance into the mind of an adventure journalist, and for its snippets of exploration history. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Peter Stark was invited to join a small expedition kayaking the Lugenda River in Mozambique: a river no white man had ever kayaked, still largely unmapped and wild. At The Mercy Of The River: An Exploration Of The Last African Wilderness tells of his adventure down the river, providing high adventure for armchair travelers with 'you are there' action. From croc-infested waters to reflections on great explorers who also explored the region, At The Mercy Of The River will have you on the edge of your seat, sharing fellow explorers' journeys in a fine blend of history and modern adventure.

For the price of the book, I got a great trip to Africa! Truly a wonderful read about a place that I may never actually be able to go to except for in this book. Thanks for the tour.

I bought this book when my son was 3 months old and he still loves it!!!

The pictures are quite endearing and detailed with lots of things to point out and talk about. The little latch is a hit. We must operate it at every page!

This is an enjoyable colorful bible for babies. The colors and the stories are a fantastic way to Introduce baby or toddler on the bible. This little beginning makes it fun and easy for mom and dad to explain further the stories that are told, too.

My daughter, Zoe is 21 months old & we both loved this book. She is learning to pray & the short, often rhyming words make prays easy to remember. But most of all the vibrant illustrations captivate the toddler's interest. This was a great buy!

The moment my 2 yr. old daughter saw the book, she never let go. Every night, we both cuddle up & look at the very colorful pictures with cutouts on each page. I make up stories on each page & also read to her the simple prayers that she could learn as she grows. Since the pages are made of hard board, they are perfect for tiny, experimenting hands which turn each page awkwardly with too much excitement. Furthermore, the lock at the side makes it easier for those tiny hands to carry. No more flapping pages! These little inquisitive kids will not only learn to read but also harness their motors/skills by opening/closing the lock. Another big plus is the handle which allows the children to hold/carry the book very conveninently wherever, whenever. I highly recommend this book to all your toddlers!

This book ranks amongst the very best military history I have ever read. It incorporates a detailed account of Charles XII's campaign that led his army deep into Ukraine, the action at Poltava, clear portraits of the main actors and moving accounts of what happened to so many of the ordinary Swedish soldiers (the wealth of information that the writer has for such an old battle is really astonishing). As it says on the cover, it pulls no punches about fighting. It makes an excellent starting point for delving into warfare of the era. I was especially impressed by the descriptions of the artillery fire and its consequences, the terrible fate of the wounded, the sacrifices made by the Swedish soldiers in order to save their king and the paradox ethics of warfare at that time. The book is mainly focused on the Swedish side with the Russians mentioned in a general and not so analytical way. Thus the subtitle on the cover should rather be "Potlava and the Demise of the Swedish Empire".

Firstly it must be said that this narrative is told from a distinctly Swedish perspective. The Russian forces are largely faceless and there nowhere near the same degree of detail about the Russian forces of Peter the Great as there is those of Charles the XII.

Englund starts with detailed analysis of force organisation. How did such a small country with a combined population of a little over a Million become the major power in Northern Europe? Some clues are found in the revolutionary way of raising the Swedish Army and the skilful leadership of Charles XII. The Swedes were also not the lovable pastey-faced ideoluges of peace and understanding as we know them today; they were ruthless in their suppression of enemy popultions and their rapacious behaviour in cowing almost all of central Europe. Moreover they highly motivated by territorial incentives. Peter the Great's Russia was unfortunate enough to be the nearest and most logical enemy to attack with Sweden traditionally controlling almost all of the modern-day Baltic states as an advanced glacis to both protect and launch offensives against Russia.

Englund dwells very little on the political motives for war and plunges right in with the march of the Armies from Livonia and modern-day Poland into the heart of Russia. We follow this army as Russia eventually draws is deeper and deeper into Sweden trading land for time and letting the elements of Russia eat away at the invader. In the hot summer sun the Battle of Poltava is really the only military option that Charles had and although it may have been successful one is always amazed at the plan to battle through a line of heavily armed forts, reform on the other side and then wheel to attack the main Russian force, also heavily entrenched. But Englund gives us a breath of adventure and dash in the movements of the Swedes and we hope that they will somehow pull if off...

The fighting is as desperate and intense as in any war, but as with the Germans over 300 yrs later, there is a particularly frightening shadow of being isolated and cut off by the Russians with no hope of reuniting with your main force.... all the time being deep in the Russian hinterland.

We follow the army as it turns and tries its getaway. Compressed within the ends of the Dnieper it eventually gives way, but our redoubtable Charles XII escapes. Englund leaves us there, there is nothing more about the remarkable adventure of Charles from that point, or his further attempts to dominate Europe, all crushed eventually. Poltava ended a 100 year dominance of the Swedes as the greatest land army in Europe, unbeatable until Poltava, but never really challenging the heartland of Russia.

One word: excellent. Wish more books of that level of quality were written and published.

Englund has written a detailed history of a key battle fought between Sweden and Russia in 1709. Although an interesting book it often becomes bogged down in its detail, both in terms of statistics and in terms of its description of the battle. The book is also limited in that it's told exclusively from the Swedish standpoint. There is little, if any, information from the Russian perspective that may have given more insight into how and why the battle evolved as it did.

However, the book is not without merit. The description of the Swedish army preparing for battle and its later disintegration as attrition and the fog of war took over, is key in understanding why the Swedes lost and allows insight into the impact of the fog of war. It also allows insight into how quickly that factor becomes real once a battle has been joined. Englund does an excellent job of describing the events leading up to the battle especially as they apply to the condition of the Swedish army on the eve of Poltava and its impact on why the Swedish king chose to fight when and how he did.

Despite the book's subtitle, Englund does little to link Poltava to the rise of Russia. Although it appears this is a generally accepted truth, he does not put the battle in the context of the Great Northern War, which didn't end until 1721.

This book was originally published in 1988. Its success took everyone by surprise, including the author, then a freshly baked historian at Uppsala University, Sweden. It has retained its bestseller status in Sweden ever since. Now, this excellent book about an important, but comparatively unknown event in world history, has been reissued in the U.S.
Peter Englund follows in the footsteps of Edward Gibbon, who taught that good history should also be good literature. The direct inspiration for this book was John Prebble's 1963 classic book Culloden

Absolutely fasinating. So many of my French teacher colleagues show this movie. They would find this "making of" so interesting. It is not a record of how he created the special effects, though he does discuss a few (the dvd shows many more), but rather all the trials the entire crew endured to create this seemingly effortless masterpiece.

The book provides insights into the making of Cocteau's classic film. The incredible film obviously stands alone, but knowledge of the period and the various aspects and difficulties in making it adds to one's appreciation.

Some have found Cocteau's litany of illnesses that he (and others) suffered while filming "Beauty and the Beast" tedious and skipped over them as seemingly irrelevant. Unfortunately, those who do may miss the entire point of Cocteau's artistic esthetic, namely, the necessity for the artist to suffer and triumph over all adversity for the sake of his art. The suffering is part and parcel of his art, suffering is art, just as "Beauty and the Beast" suffered during the filming and triumphed as a lasting work of art. Cocteau was allied to the Surrealist movement (though distancing himself from it) and his suffering at the time mirrored the enormous technical difficulties encountered while making the film. The entire surreal struggle of Cocteau, of others involved and of the film itself is wonderfully captured in his journal and any serious student of the film will profit by reading it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen Jean Cocteau's fil version of "Beauty and the Beast" The book is the diary of the film. There are some great photos in it as well.

Cocteau's diary on the making of his most famous film - "La Belle et la Bête" (1946) - recounts an almost endless series of obstacles that he encountered during its production. From illnesses (everyone involved seemed to suffer some significant ailment or injury during production) to production problems (bad film stock, unworkable cameras) to union disputes, the film was almost plagued from the start.

At times this litany of woe and frustration can be quite tedious - when Cocteau goes into a detailed discussion of his ezcema and other physical maladies, I tuned out. But it's still a fascinating look at not only how he pulled all the elements together (although his entries for the editing process are rather short) but also what filmmaking was like during a difficult time in French history. His depictions of his stars, Jean Marais and Josette Day, are quite interesting too. And the book shows perhaps better than many textbooks how the different talents on a film set contribute to the final result.

The book probably won't be enjoyable to those who haven't seen the movie (at least a few times) but for those who really admire this film, this behind-the-scenes look is a real treat.

Peter Henry provides a compassionate and provoking examination on the elements that comprise a productive educational system. He goes above and beyond the normal diatribes against the modern public school system and exposes the true flaws of the system-the lack of community support, the misuse of school resources, the reliance on read and repeat learning strategies, and the failure to honestly engage students with the complex ideas/issues they face. Henry manages to scrutinize and comment on the spectrum of issues faced by the educational system without falling prey to the easy, oversimplified answers put forth by so many critics and commentators.
But to simply categorize this work as a treatise on education would be unfair. Henry's writing is a sensitive narrative full of wit and precise observation, a narrative that effectively weaves his own experiences as both awkward teenager and tenured instructor. His writing contains the insight gained through years of creating and integrating challenging curricula while also accurately portraying the obstacles faced by the very youth he teaches.
If only lawmakers and lobbyists could get together and read this book, Americans may actually be able to send their children to school with the certainty that their kids were getting the rich and multifaceted education that has been promised in so many empty political speeches. If only they all could become Mr. Henry.

Becoming Mr. Henry captures the essence of how our upbringing influenced Peter's later decision to become a teacher and the kind of teacher he became. The kind of teacher I wish for my children who are both in public school. Teachers are so important in the lives of our children. Yet we do under pay many of them and over work most of them. At a time when civic groups, politicians and businesses alike are saying that public education is their top priority very few are putting their energy and money where their mouths are. Instead of No Child Left Behind we have Many Children Left Behind. Peter's combination of wit, humor, storytelling, philosophizing, being real and yet leaving the reader with optimism in this time of despair is quite an accomplishment. This small book packs a punch. As Peter says..."We are all students. We are all teachers." Peter strikes me as the kind of teacher that would inspire kids to want to learn. Isn't that what we all want for our children? I wish that members of Congress and the Bush administration would read this book so they could have a glimpse of the true nature of teaching and learning in today's world. Perhaps then those of us with kids in school would have more faith in the future of our educational policy. Peter and I (and our 7 other siblings) were very lucky to have such wonderful parents who truly understood the meaning of teaching and learning and community service. I only hope that my children will be as lucky! Now about airbrushing me out of the picture on the cover of your book...

I loved this book- plain and simple. The voice in here is intelligent and original, yet remains easy to relate to. When I was reading the about Henry's experiences and anxieties as a child, I felt like I was back in my own childhood, back in my high school. It was the same feeling I had reading Salinger for the first time-the character's uncertainty, the newness of every action and thought, the alienation, the search for truth.

As someone who is a teacher, I find the perspectives the author gives about his time in the classroom to be invaluable. It is refreshing to read about his focus on developing an environment that inspires students to think deeply, to exceed the normal and mundane. Henry's ideas regarding group dynamics in the classroom and how to assist students in taking ownership of their aspirations should be considered by all teachers. The analysis of education reminds me of the best Peter Elbow has to offer, but with more practicality and attention to detail. Highly recommended.

This is a unique book, a mix of story, philosophy and some almost political elements. Henry does a good job of reflecting on the job of teaching and the role of public education in this country. He is well-informed and tells engaging stories along the way.

Highly recommended.

Becoming Mr. Henry succinctly lays out the conundrum presented to anyone teaching in public education today: How does a teacher best serve his or her students in the current educational climate? Becoming Mr. Henry is one person's answer. I found the book thought provoking and inspiring.

To paraphrase Frank McCourt, the classroom teacher is the last person anyone consults when determining educational policy. Should that situation ever change, Mr. Henry would be an excellent person to start with.

Beginning Visual Basic 5.0 by Peter Wright was the first book on Visual Basic that I read. Peter Wright's easy to follow style and use of understandable real world examples made my transition from ACCESS database development to Visual Basic development a breeze. Recently I began to explore the world of Objects. I found that most of the texts used abstract, hard to follow language. Once again Peter Wright has produced a book that offers great coverage of the basics of his topic. Since reading this book, I have been able to go back to the other more advanced texts with no trouble. Well done Mr. Wright.

The actual information and teaching in this book could have been easily compressed into 200 pages. The other 449 pages are mostly comprised of Peter Wright boasting about how wonderful and robust a language vb5 is, and constantly making snide comments about how difficult, slow, and inadequate, C/C++ are. I found that insulting to my intelligence. Someone trying to learn Visual Basic does not need to be told that C/C++ are horrible languages. If they ever want to move beyond writing slow and inefficient VB database programs, they're going to need to learn C or C++ sooner or later. Nothing against Visual Basic, it's a great language for what it's meant to do. But I (and nobody else) needs to be told that it's the end all be all wonderful super language when it really isn't..

Aside from that I found that the book goes through creating interfaces fairly well, and actually discusses program structure and bites into code efficiency a bit. The main thing it doesn't do is tea! ch you how to write code, which is absolutely essential unless you're designing a database in Access, and even then you really should know how to code if you want to make anything good. I would steer clear of this book unless you want to pay $25 for a migraine headache.

I bought this book because I knew nothing of OOP or Active X components and was faced with the task of being responsible for enhancing an application written using those techniques. Furthermore, the developer that wrote the application was long gone and there was very little documentation. After reading the book and coding some of the examples I was able to figure out the application and how to effectively change it. Not only did this book help me to do my current job, but learning the OOP techniques has made me a better programmer. Needless to say, the skills I have learned from this $40 investment will benefit me in future earnings far and above. I also appreciated Peter Wrights "this is no big deal" humor throughout.

Being an experienced VB programmer, I like the way Peter laid out the way he explained it all. Before reading this book, I really didn't have much understanding of objects/classes....just that they were there and it had some code I could use elsewhere in my project. When I actually had a chance to work on it, I just felt so knowledgeable!!

One thing I thought was interesting.....most of the time when there is source code with the book, the examples are fully coded and functional. He tricked me this time and had a project with many classes and no code. (BTW, I downloaded it from the Wrox site). He leaves this open for you to work on it and get it right. I think that's the best way to learn.

Good Job Peter!!!

He non-chalantly covers what has been a very stick y subject.

His style is friendly ... a little wordy.

But when he puts nuts and bolts together .. the guy has quite a philosophy ...

I've been a VB programmer since v3. VB3 and VB4 didn't do objects .. so I went to Java.

Even though I am familiar with OO programming ... he was NOT boring ... and spelled things out simple stupid 123.

If you are Einstein or Forest Gump .. .you will get something out of this book .. if you do what he says .. and punch the keyboard through his examples.

He should (but probably won't) .. get a commission on my next programming project !!

This book is a model of brevity and thoroughness. I wish every programming reference could be written this way. Heck, I wish I could write this way.

an excellent book on c for the advanced C user. This is definitely not a book for a newbie to C, but well worth adding to your library.

A really good book that explains C clearly. I especially like the standard library reference that is included and also the sections on GCC and GDB.

every day there are fewer reasons to purchase computer books. so much documentation is online or included as "man" or "info" pages that reference manuals have almost become extinct. "c in a nutshell" proves there can be real value in a book, even on a topic as "settled" as c. the reference is exhaustive, and there are many examples. but there is more to this book than just a c reference...this book really addresses the entirety of developing with common c tools like gcc and make, as well as adding discussion for memory management, pointers, and other thornier topics. the nice thing is that because the world of c isn't likely to change radically from this point, you can likely get use out of this book for another decade.

I'll admit that I'm a fan first and foremost of K&R, but this is a good reference too. It takes a little more time to explain some concepts than K&R, and does it in a way that can increase your learning. So while I wouldn't call this a drop-in replacement for K&R, it is definitely a good additional resource, one that I turn to almost as often as I turn to K&R.

I haven't read the book but I have seen excerpts. It's a shame that Peter Christopher passed away recently. He was my boyfriend's writing professor at Georgia Southern University.

Peter Christopher passed away last week. He was an inspiration to all and a writer with endless talent. He was a tremendous teacher and taught me just as much about life as he did writing.

An amazing writer and an even better person...

Professor Christopher was an outstanding and inspiring writer and teacher. He will missed for years to come.

To all aspiring readers and writers, he's say,

"Say something only you can say about living and dying."

The author of this book is no longer with us. He died recently; he taught me and many other students at Georgia Southern University. He was a great writer and an amazing teacher.

To all writers out there, he had a message for you:

Go for the jugular.

One of my favorite Lish student books, a one-hit wonder, where did this guy go...

This is a book about genetics, from the point of view of a cat owner and her rare male calico cat. As the author unravels the mystery of her male calico, the reader learns about the history and science of genetics.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for a beginners approach to genetics and who also likes cats! I'm thrilled to see it back in print.

A male calico so rare that most veterinarians have never seen one - "Cats are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics" is an examination of the strange and off biology of the feline species which work apparently quite a bit differently than that of the common pea. In a second edition, the first published sixteen years ago, is newly enhanced with a lengthy addendum covering all the new discoveries and advances in the study of feline genetics and so much more. "Cats are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics" is highly recommended to community library pets/wildlife shelves with a focus on animal biology and for anyone who may be interested in breeding cats or just a plain interest in cats period.

If you love cats, you will love this book, and want to share it with others. Laura Gould has written the charming, witty, delightful story of her male calico cat, George, and his feline pal Max in their California home. That alone would have been a wonderful book. But aren't all calico cats female? The vet turned pale upon seeing George, obviously male and obviously calico. Gould intersperses George's' life story with her own investigation into how he could have come to exist. This makes a gentle, funny, and accurate introduction to genetics, including side trips to libraries with insane librarians preventing the books from being used, to theories of sex before the discovery of genes and DNA, and to rare Japanese sources. Cat lore, history and science are beautifully balanced in this book. The second edition brings the genetics up to date, while keeping all the charm of George. A superb read!

I found this book quite by accident but it was exactly what I was looking for. Not only did this book share my love of cats and interest in calicos but gave a clear and easy to understand explanation of calico genetics.

Best explanation of the calico phenomenon I have ever read. SHe explains the basics and the history behind the rare male calico in a clear and enertaining way. The lessons on basic genetics as you go is a unique way of presenting things.

I purchased this beauty along with Botanica's Roses, from Amazon. WOW was I delighted! Between the 2 I have almost every rose info I could imagine. It is well worth the money and a must have for every rosarian. I have 40 roses so far and found the info very useful in my continued purchases. (ex: I live in the NW and have wet weather...many roses dislike wet and don't open properly. The books reveal which are poor choices for my such climate. Now that is USEFUL information!)

Of course it goes without saying that the author knows his roses and the pictures are, well, drop-dead gorgeous (as are in the Botanica's Roses book.)

A 100% must have, along with Botanica's.

Publishers, please bring "Classic Roses" by Peter Beales back into print! I bought a copy for a friend and now I can't bear to give it up. It has everything for the rosarian: thousands of enticing color photographs and descriptions (the author's own collection of roses numbers well over 2,000 species and varieties); extensive chapters on using roses in the landscape (even if your 'landscape' happens to be an apartment terrace), the care and cultivation of roses, the history of roses; and at the back of the encyclopediac text, there are extensive appendixes, indices, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for further reading.

Peter Beales is also a pleasure to read--very British; very knowledgeable; and it is very obvious that he loves his subject. I have only two minor suggestions for "Classic Roses" if it is once again revised: include U.S.A. climate zones for the roses; include photographs of all (not most) of the roses (I'll bet the author wanted to do this and the publishers wouldn't let him).

As fond as I am of my friend, "Classic Roses" and I are never going to part company.

This is not a coffee table book. Though the pages are high-quality paper, the photos excellent and plentiful, and the binding high-quality, the book is essentially a meaty reference. If there were a college course on roses, this might serve as a texbook.

Beales starts as most authors do by talking about rose history, culture and using roses in the garden. It is clear that Beales is not so interested in roses as show-bench trophy fodder but as vital elements of a user-friendly and colorful garden. This sentiment shows in his selection of cultivars.

The bulk of the book is descriptions of roses. Beales has developed the most complete shorthand available for expressing all the things you wish to about a rose: how well it does in the shade, which diseases it gets, when it blooms, how big and bushy the plant is. This means that his text entries can focus on the facets of the rose that make it unique in the garden. In other words, he manages to convey the same amount of information as would a book twice the heft of this very hefty tome.

The book does a commendable job covering all old rose classes, climbing roses, shrub roses, species, and near-species cultivars. It is the over-fat classes of Hybrid Perpetuals and Hybrid Teas, that have pricipally recieved the editorial hatchet. And since Beales considers only 2000 or so cultivars, this book is good for culling out the considerable amount of dross among roses - especially among hybrid teas.

If you know you will never use roses for any purpose than cutting or showing on a bench, this book will be of only peripheral use. But if you yearn to understand how roses can work in a garden setting, this is one of the best buys around.

As its name implies, Classic Roses emphasizes older garden roses and species roses. Its organization by subgenus and section (e.g., "Synstylae") is useful to botanists, but more idiosyncratic for gardeners, especially as most modern roses have ancestors from many species. The book does cover Hybrid Teas and more recent introductions, even including over 50 of David Austin's "New English Roses." It is not as easy (i.e., a 2-step process via the index) to find specific cultivars as in the similar-sized and also excellent "American Rose Society Encyclopedia of Roses," but this book has slightly more cultural information on most varieties, as well as longer - and excellent - chapters on rose history, "Roses in the Landscape" and "The Cultivation of Roses." This book also has a very useful appendix of cultivars by height and narrowly defined (e.g., 4 different yellows) colors. To actually come up with my personal "Rose List" (a 1-page Excel sheet I bring to nurseries) I have primarily used the much smaller (200 page) but in its own way very useful "Peter Schneider on Roses" - which is limited to that rosarian 's favorite varieties - but of course one also has to have a reference tome or two.

As its name implies, Classic Roses emphasizes older garden roses and species roses. Its organization by subgenus and section (e.g., "Synstylae") is useful to botanists, but more idiosyncratic for gardeners, especially as most modern roses have ancestors from many species. The book does cover Hybrid Teas and more recent introductions, even including over 50 of David Austin's "New English Roses" up to and including `Scepter'd Isle' (1996). It is not as easy (i.e., a 2-step process via the index) to find specific cultivars as in the similar-sized and also excellent American Rose Society Encyclopedia of Roses, but this book has slightly more cultural information on most varieties, as well as longer - and excellent - chapters on rose history, "Roses in the Landscape" and "The Cultivation of Roses." This book also has a very useful appendix of cultivars by height and narrowly defined (e.g., 4 different yellows) colors. To actually come up with my personal "Rose List" (a 1-page Excel sheet I bring to nurseries) I have primarily used the much smaller (200 page) but in its own way very useful Peter Schneider on Roses - which is limited to that rosarian 's favorite varieties - but of course one also has to have a reference tome or two.