Tom, Do you have any of the hard cover edition of the Grahams' Kate Furbish and the Flora of Maine? Judy Falk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas F. Vining" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 11:23 AM Subject: Natural History Books 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 misspelled 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