Dear All: I have just received a copy of the Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide to Hippeastrum, the gardener's amaryllis by Veronica M. Read. Timber Press published this and it is available for $34.95 Peter Crane, the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, wrote the forward. Obviously such an eminent botanist and horticulturist would not have written the forward if the book did not merit his association with it. The photographs are also stunning. I remember meeting with Veronica several times in London, on my stops at Heathrow on my way to France or other places when I was obliged to spend the night close to the airport. We spent hours going over the text and I think the help I gave her, assisted her in coming up with this great addition to our libraries. I remember she was worried that some would not help her, I also remember telling her that with her association with many worthy and well respected members of the staff at Kew, she should proceed with confidence in her own ability. I think she will be rightfully proud of her achievement. I hope many of you will enjoy this book. Cheers, John E. Bryan