REVIEWS
Simply stated, this book
is excellent! It provides rock-solid
information, concisely, and in a lovely format. The photography is
excellent, and perfectly compliments the text. Some growers, especially
those who already have cultivation-focused books by D'Amato or Slack,
may feel they have no reason to buy another. But this book offers a
fresh perspective, one that is different from D'Amato (a Californian)
or Slack (a Brit). Barry Rice, Science Editor of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter and book author (US) A great new book, lots of excellent photos and useful cultivation advice. A must have for any carnivorous plant grower's library. Really refreshing to see cultivation from a national perspective, Italy in this case. I really enjoyed reading about growing plants in the Italian climate, which is particularly – but not only – useful for all growers in mediterranean climates. Expert advice from an expert horticulturist and field researcher. Stewart McPherson, naturalist and book author (AU) To say it beforehand: the book is a must for every carnivorous plant enthusiast - no matter whether he is a beginner or advanced. The author managed to compile a real nice match, writing an interesting text and showing a good number of high quality photos. The main target certainly are beginners of the hobby as you find a complete overview of the field. But the nice photos and the rather low price are surely also inviting pros to add this nice piece to their collection. The book was produced in very good quality - this means both the paper quality and the photo reproduction. The text is excellent English. Gert Hoogenstrijd, Owner of Carniflora (NL) The strength - and not the limit - of this book lies in its originality. It has been designed for Italian growers. Enthusiasts from everywhere in the world will, thus, be able to get inspiration from the very particular tips used for growing carnivorous plants in the Italian weather. On top of that, the pictures are of great quality and so is the impression of the book. François Mey, naturalist and blogger of "Strange Fruits" (FR) This book is an excellent piece of work. Throughout its pages are good quality photos of very well grown plants. I particularly like the shots of the Cephalotus. The text itself is translated from Italian which gives the book a certain charm. You actually find yourself reading it with an Italian accent! The information is clear and concise and will be of great use to the novice and experienced grower, particularly those living in cooler climates. Greg Bourke, President of the Australasian Carnivorous Plant Society (AU) I found this book fun to read as well as informative for beginners and experienced alike. Being English speaking I found the conversion from Italian added to the "Italian Experience" and it is always interesting to hear of other growers’ successes. The pictures are clear and are relevant to the text. Having met Marcello in Sydney some years ago, I am pleased to say his book is a good read and one I am glad to have on my shelf. Jessica Biddlecombe, Secretary of the Australasian Carnivorous Plant Society (AU) I am one of the founding members of Drosophyllum, the Spanish carnivorous plant society, and I bought your book a few months ago. Other people from our society also bought some copies and everybody is quite happy with it. When I had your book in my hands, and took a quick look at all pages, I thought that it would be a very good book, and after reading it I was right. In my opinion it is a very useful book, especially for beginners, and for other experienced growers too; and not only from Italy but also from other countries. Great photographs, lots of very good and compact data that make easy to find any information, everything well structured and almost all, if not all, the information is directly obtained from your personal experience and knowledge. Sincerely I didn't find any important error in the book from my point of view. Definitely you won't be disappointed with Marcello's book. Julio Alberto, Founder of Drosophyllum, the Spanish Carnivorous Plant Society of Spain (SP) This concise book is an excellent resource for beginners and intermediate growers of carnivorous plants. Contrary to other similar books on growing carnivorous plants, it provides the grower with simple and reliable instructions on how to establish a carnivorous plant collection from the first moment - when these plants "bite" your curiosity - to a more advanced collection. The book is written from the perspective of an Italian carnivorous plant grower, but it is of general interest to growers elsewhere in Europe. The book is illustrated with excellent photographs, not only plant photographs but also terrariums, greenhouses and other setups which can help design your own growing space. I enjoyed especially the pictures of Drosera scorpioides (at the end of the book), the scary Nepenthes hamata and the excellently grown Cephalotus! Francesc Maynou, member of Drosophyllum, the Spanish Carnivorous Plant Society (SP) I have enjoyed reading Marcello Catalano's book "Growing Carnivores - an Italian perspective" for two reasons. Firstly, as a European grower of carnivorous plants, particularly the North American genus Sarracenia, I have found that many books on the subject are written from a North American point of view, expecting everyone around the world to be living in the same weather/temperature conditions and having the same facilities available as are available in North America. It is refreshing to find a book written from a European perspective, and one that more closely represents my own conditions. Secondly, as a collector of books on the subject of Carnivorous Plants, it is a must have. It is filled with stunning, full colour photographs of these magnificent plants, on almost every page. Marcello was also kind enough to write a personal message and autograph the book for me, so it will retain a very special place in my collection, and one which I will refer to again and again. Andy Loakes, member of The Carnivorous Plant Society (UK) It's a fantastic book! There are lots of magnificent pictures of excellent quality! I especially love the fabulous Darlingtonia's terrarium and the great Cephalotus section. The text is very clear and very easy to read. I'm very happy with Marcello too because he sent us the books very fast and for a very cheap price. In fact, it's the book with the best price-quality relation that I have got. Marcello always answers fast and he's very kind. Excellent book, I recommend it! Cristian Sarabia, President of Drosophyllum, the Spanish Carnivorous Plant Society (SP) I read this book all at once. Even if it has been written for growers who live in the Italian climate, it taught me many tips and suggestions that anybody would find useful. What I wasn’t surprised to verify, is how its language will be very easy for anybody, so that even the inexperienced grower won’t get lost in technical and useless explanations. Anybody who wants to start growing carnivorous plants will have to buy a copy of this work, as it will certainly be used as a daily reference, and not as the nth edition that you buy and just leave in the cupboard of your personal library. Renée Gaillard, President of Diobel, the Belgian Carnivorous Plant Society (BE) Marcello's book will be certainly very useful to all amateurs of carnivorous plants. It shows how Italians grow their plants, but it also contains great advices for any other international grower. It also contains photos of such quality as I’ve never found in any other book of this kind. The English language he uses is easy and the sentences are short and meaningful; I would suggest to any collector to buy a copy. Olivier Jerez, member of Dionée, the French Carnivorous Plant Society (FR) Although the content is a perspective of growing carnivorous plants in Italy, there are still things I can learn about cultivation which is applicable to tropical conditions. For example, how Cephalotus is grown in large and deep pots. In addition, how certain carnivorous plants grow during Italy's summer also give insights to how the same plants can be grown in Singapore. Cindy, distributor for Borneo Exotics (Singapore) A nice introductory text written from the unique perspective of the Italian grower. A helpful and informative primer with information on the cultivation and propagation of carnivorous plants. Sam Estes, Owner of Leilani Hapu'u Nepenthes Nursery (US) The book is excellent and for me it’s being very useful, especially with droseras. The pictures are VERY good and the text is clear and easy to understand (my English isn't very good). If you write another book about carnivorous plants, email me! Enric Bringués, Seed Bank Manager of Drosophyllum, the Spanish Carnivorous Plant Society (SP) I found your book extremely interesting, clear, and with impressive images. Within its pages can be found the most important basics on how to grow carnivorous plants, plus a good number of personal tips and suggestions. The photos are astonishing and portray a wide range of both commonly grown and rarer species. This is a book I warmly recommend. Nigel Hewitt-Cooper, Owner of Hewitt-Cooper Carnivorous Plants (UK) This book - I had the honor to help during its printing - is a logical goal for a man like the author is. He is living for carnivorous plants since he was a young boy and from that moment he slowly collected experiences. Now it’s time for him to write for us all he knows and it’s time for us to read it. He travelled through the carnivorous plant locations, met specialists and growers, filled the lives of many people with the enthusiasm of sharing knowledge and experiences about these rare plants. The author wrote this book in Italian language in 2005 and now the great translation into English is available for really everyone who’s able to read it. I hope other books will be written soon by Marcello! Jana Rubešová, Founder of Darwiniana, the Czech Carnivorous Plant Society (CZ) I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone. I love the easy relaxed style of writing and the great pictures. The growing guides are informative and very well explained. Suitable for beginners and more experienced growers. I'm glad you translated it into English for us. Thanks Marcello. Flick Foreman, Treasurer of The Carnivorous Plant Society (UK) The major interest of this book is, to my opinion, the intelligence and accuracy with which the cultivation of carnivorous plants is explained, which is the clear result of a long personal experience. The author wisely insists on the importance of light, and doesn't hesitate to propose very simple ways of growing, for example, Nepenthes and Heliamphora outdoors. Of course, the grower should adapt some advices according to his own geographical location. However, we should remind that Italy displays itself a wide range of climatic conditions. Furthermore, because of the climatic change, one should imagine that, year after year, cultivation lines given to Italian growers will fit more and more to growers from northern countries too. Nicolas Bogaert, Public Relations Manager of Dionée, the French Carnivorous Plant Society (FR) A great read, excellent photos and relevant easy to follow cultivation information which is especially helpful for beginners. And it also has some fantastic tips for advanced growers to help get the best from their plants. A great addition to the carnivorous plant library. Stephen Fretwell, President of the Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society (AU) The thing I appreciate most about this book is simplicity. Marcello shows first-time growers how easy it is to grow carnivorous plants. He avoids using terrariums whenever possible, and only advocates it if a grower doesn't have the proper lighting. He also explains how to grow carnivorous plants if you're short on space, which is the Italian perspecitve. So this book is very good for growers living in cities or aparments. The book has lots of colored photographs to illustrate proper growing conditions. Jacob Farin, Co-owner of Sarracenia Northwest (US) |