An indication of the quality of this book can be seen by the fact that in 2003 a copy of this book, which originally sold for $50.00, was going for over $300 on eBay, despite being described as having water damage! Part of the reason is that this book features very large color photos of excellent quality. The photos include the 52 species discussed at length in the book, as well as a number of other bromeliads. A number of the smaller photos are closeups of some detail of the plant, or of the habitat from which it comes. TILLANDSIA by Paul Isley III
Botanical Press, Gardena, CA, 1987
ISBN 0-9617675-0-2
The book has 256 pages. The author is one of the owners of Rainforest Flora, a nursery in southern California that offers Tillandsia species at both wholesale and retail levels, and is endeavoring to grow as much of its stock from seed as is possible.Isley starts the book with 11 pages of general information about the genus Tillandsia, including sections on how to care for them indoors and out and on the animal associates of tillandsias - especially ants. After discussing the 51 species of Tillandsia and one species of grey-leaved Vriesea. Isley has a section on people who have been prominent in the history of Tillandsia and of bromeliads. Chapter 5 is on botanical nomenclature, pronunciation, and taxonomy; this section is now a bit outdated in that the subgenus Pseudocatopsis has become the genus Racinea, but it does a great job of explaining the differences between the subgenera. The final chapter is on the evolution and biology of the genus, and is followed by a color chart and a glossary. Included with the book were two detached additions - a tabular breakdown of the species discussed, and a ruler.
This book is wonderfully done; if there are errors, I did not spot them. In early 2003, Isley was contemplating a second book that would be complementary to this one, nearly all of the species in the second book not appearing in the first. I certainly hope he goes through with those plans.
Review by Kenneth Quinn