( 5 reviews )
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Posted: Jan 3 2007
I think some of the previous reviewers may not have been aware that Adrian Slack has a different book available that deals specifically with growing carnivorous plants. This book's intended purpose is definitely not to be a "growing guide" for carnivorous plants. Rather, it is a rigorous and detailed study of the plants themselves, their history, biology and trapping mechanisms. Yes, there is a small section in end of the book regarding cultivation, but it is clearly intended to serve more as an appendix than a main chapter in the book. To dismiss this text on the basis that it is not a growing guide and that it lacks sufficient cultivation information is a cheap shot, because that was never the author's intent and anyone who has read it could tell you that. For what this book IS intended to do, it is without a doubt the best on the market (even today!). No other carnivorous plant book on the market today covers their biology and trapping mechanisms in such vivid detail, nor do they provide such high quality drawings and examinations of just how these plants function. If you want information on how to cultivate these amazing plants, this is definitely not the book for you. If, however, you want to know where these plants come from and seek rigorous scientific detail on just how they work, this is without a doubt the best resource in publication, bar none. This book has been around for a long time and I hope it remains in publication because there is currently nothing else that supplies the same information. If you are growing these plants and want to know more about them than what is covered in more popular cultivation books (e.g. Peter D'Amato or Barry Rice's texts) then this book is what you need. It makes an excellent companion to many of the cultivation books on the market today and will give you an even greater appreciation and understanding of these remarkable plants.
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( 2 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 14 2006
This book definitely excels in the scientific side of things. Reading the various methods by which the plants lure their prey and then trap them was extremely fascinating. There is no doubt, that if you want to know the different mechanisms by which these amazing plants work, then this book is for you. Unfortunately, I don't feel it explained in any great detail on how to cultivate the plants or how to grow them. The section of the book that dealt with growing the plants was rather superficial and disorganised. Nonetheless, when it comes to science I give it 5 stars, but when it comes to methods of growing, I give it 3 stars. Overall, I would give it four stars. I still recommend it- it was a great read for me and I'm sure it will be for you too.
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( 2 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 10 2006
I was a little disappointed with this book. Adrian Slack's expertise can't be doubted but as a layperson I found the book heavy going. There was an awful lot of scientific jargon used and I didn't even finish reading it - something I rarely do. There were some stunning full-page colour photos in the book which were sadly few and far between. Most of the photos were black and white or sketches. I like my gardening books to have full colour photos and a minimum of jargon. One for those with scientific/botanical backgrounds only I think.
