Update since I started this thread. I spent a couple hours perusing a copy. It exceeded my expectations. The books are physically huge, and heavy. It's not just the pictorial encyclopedia implied by the long extent website...there are over 100 introductory pages and at least a couple hundred more than are like a textbook on the ecology of temperate conifers. With somewhat small text - they were clearly trying to stuff as much in there as possible without resorting to a third volume! Yes, it does skip entries on tropical conifers, but their families are discussed in relation to all other conifers, so its still a valid overview of the entire phylum. To my concern about the quality of the photography...well in some cases it could be a little better, but it doesn't detract from the book at all. Each species is represented by multiple photographs including close-ups and those closeups are probably more important for the work's intended audience. I think the price is quite in-line with what you are buying. It must rank up there with T. Everitt's New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture as one of the epic horticultural titles of all time. If a large format, full-color separation gardening book goes for about $50 retail, you are easily getting 5X the book, if not 10X the book. I have no doubt I will buy a copy, someday, I'm not sure if it will be soon or not. I could spend hours and hours looking at a book like that, and my garden needs hours and hours of attention! I worry if it will find much of a market at it's current price but I suppose that any serious university library should have it and there are hundreds of those just in the US. Would especially appreciate Resin's thoughts if he's seen the work, or anybody else's. (I guess I'm not alone in assuming Resin is something of a big deal in the world of conifers who posts here under a pseudonym...a professor at a UK university perhaps? Since he always has herbarium images of the most obscure species!)

Eggo-Thanks for the compliment. You take some incredible photos yourself. The plant is a coffee catura and is about 5 feet at present. It is in a 15 gallon container and spends the winter in the coolest of the greenhouses (40 degrees minimum temperature). The cherries are very interesting. They are sweet but there is not a lot of pulp inside them One of the most interesting things about them is that they have a noticeable coffee flavor to them.

I like sappy! Scrappy, too. Does that make me a scrappy sap? Oh good grief! I need to be locked in a sewing room with a little pass through door for fabric and food. I can picture it now........

Well. I almost won this time. Baby is due on Sunday. Quilt is about half finished. On my way to by batting, my Bonobo texts me with "She's not gonna be induced anymore. They're on the way to the hospital." FAIL! I ALMOST made it! ALMOST! Maybe if I work really really hard tonight and tomorrow (hah. it's knit night and knit night = good food, good company and good wine)... I can get it done. Pictures soon!