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From:
"Thomas F. Vining" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
- JBS-L - Josselyn Botanical Society discussion list of the University of Maine <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 1 Apr 2004 11:23:31 -0500
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1 April 2004

Dear Natural History Bibliophiles,
 
In an effort to reach people more efficiently and at a lower cost than with
printed catalogs, I send this e-mail on or around the first day of each
month to current and potential clients and others who may be interested.
(Some of you also receive the mid-month message about the Delta Institute of
Natural History.) I appreciate the many of you who pass this message on to
others but understand that not everyone wants to receive this e-mail. If you
are one of the latter, please e-mail me and I will remove your name from the
list.
 
NEW BOOKS
I have added the following titles this month. For details, please see:
http://www.vfthomas.com/books.htm
(Occasionally clicking directly on the above address doesnıt work. The
address is correct, however, so you may have to copy and paste it into your
web browser.)
 
   Fungi ­ Roy Watling
   Lichens ­ William Purvis
   Kate Furbish and the Flora of Maine ­ Ada Graham and Frank Graham Jr. (I
have had copies of this book in stock since last summer but, for some
reason, overlooked them until I began leap year cleaning, a task I find less
demanding than the more traditional spring cleaning.)
   Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent
Canada (7th printing of the 2nd edition) ­ Henry A. Gleason and Arthur
Cronquist
   Mushrooms of Cape Cod and the National Seashore ­ Arleen R. Bessette,
Alan E. Bessette, and William J. Neill
   Mushrooms of North America ­ Alan E. Bessette, Orson K. Miller Jr.,
Arleen R. Bessette, and Hope H. Miller
   Mushrooms of Northeastern North America ­ Alan E. Bessette, Arleen R.
Bessette, and David W. Fischer
   Wildflowers of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont ­ Alan E. Bessette,
Arleen Rainis Bessette, William K. Chapman, and Valerie Conley Chapman
   Wildflowers of New York ­ William K. Chapman, Valerie A. Chapman, Alan E.
Bessette, Arleen Rainis Bessette, and Douglas R. Pens
 
Also, I have the 1998 Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquistıs
Manual, which is back in print.
 
If you have any recommendations for books, please let me know. Several of
the titles listed above were purchased based on announcements given at
meetings I attended.
 
SPECIAL PRICE ON FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA
Perhaps you received a flyer from Oxford University Press (OUP), the
publisher of the Flora of North America series. They are running a special
through June 30 on all eight FNA volumes published to date. The cost is $95
for each volume. I will match that offer. Also, OUP is offering a 25%
discount on all future volumes if someone sets up a standing order. I will
offer the same discount. All I need is a letter or e-mail from you
requesting a standing order together with a credit card number and
expiration date.
 
OUT OF PRINT
Henry Potterıs Field Guide to Hybrid Ferns is no longer available. I am sold
out; the publisher has no more copies; and there are no plans to reprint it.
Perhaps I will have a copy returned as the person who bought my last one
said, ³My grandchildren love all those books.²
 
BOOKS ON DISPLAY
Several persons have asked if V. F. Thomas Co. has a store where one can
browse. Until recently the answer was no. The business was strictly mail
order except for having a book table at some botanical meetings. Now, with
the creation of the Delta Institute of Natural History, there is a facility
where you can, by appointment, browse the books and videos listed on the web
site. Call (207-266-5748 = 207-BOOKS-4-U) to make an appointment. Directions
are posted on the Delta Institute web site:
http://www.vfthomas.com/deltahome.htm
 
VOCABULARY
Does it drive you nuts to see words mispelled‹yes, I know, the word is
misspelled‹or, incorrect; punctuation,?. Well, something that I am becoming
increasingly aware of is the need for many of us to improve our vocabulary.
So, I have decided to devote one section of each monthıs e-mail to
vocabulary and, in particular, words that are often used incorrectly. This
monthıs oft-misused words describe sharp projections on plants (collectively
referred to as armature). They are spine, thorn, and prickle and differ
according to the evolutionary history of the object they name. A spine is
the evolutionary derivative of a leaf or a portion of a leaf, the spines of
a cactus and the stipular spines of some Robinia for examples. A thorn is a
modified branch, such as the thorns of Crataegus. These are not to be
confused with the somewhat thorn-like short shoots of apple trees. Finally,
a prickle is simply an outgrowth of a plantıs epidermis. Prickles are
present in many species of Rubus and Rosa, and so to be ³bc² (botanically
correct), we should refer to ³a rose between two prickles² or should say
that ³every rose has its prickle².
 
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
Remember this weekend to (1) turn your clocks ahead one hour, (2)
check/replace the batteries in your smoke detectors, and (3) order books
from V. F. Thomas Co. for the coming field season.
 
Oh, yes, one final thing:
Iım Thomas Vining, and I approve this message.

V. F. Thomas Co.
Delta Institute of Natural History
219 Dead River Road
Bowdoin, ME  04287
207-266-5748 = 207-BOOKS-4-U
http://www.vfthomas.com

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