John: My vote is for a book devoted to the lesser amaryllids. We could certainly omit narcissus which have been well-covered in other books and Hippeastrum, which Veronica Read's book should cover. I envision a book with both botanical information, photos, distribution maps w/elevations, hardiness info, cultivars...descriptions, and stories about the hybridizers, and cultural info. There has been so much written over the years, especially by members of IBS, but no one has taken time to assemble this into a complete reference. Both Scott Ogden and Thad Howard's books are fabulous, but they only make me want more information. Does such a book already exist and I've missed it? >I wonder what your selection of the best books from 2003 would be. >Timber Press, in my opinion, lead the list of best publishers, and >seldom do they publish any book that is not worth having. No doubt I am >biased in this, but so be it. I also wonder what books are needed that >are still to be written. Tony Avent Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, NC 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdel.com/ phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent