Flora and Fauna

Over the weekend, I met with the good fortune of stumbling upon two books in an MPH bookstore that were really worth their weight in gold. Each of these hardcover books printed on high-quality paper with beautiful glossy photos were going for just under $17 each with a futher discount of 10%. There were around 280 pages in each book. What I like about them is that they are well-written and organised making reading of such books a joy rather than a pain and a strain on the eyes. These have been my most precious finds in the bookshops this month. I actually bought the book on birds on one ocassion and went back to get the one on butterflies the next day. Even the additional expenditure on train fare was nothing compared with what I will be reaping from these books in years to come.

I knew about these stamp issues some time back. Never got the time to get them and since I am not a serious stamp collector, I made no effort to make the trip to the post office to get them. By chance I saw this complete set of Flora and Fauna definitive stamps at a post office counter and how could I not buy them because there is so much beauty in the artwork? So here they are:
An attractive cover for the stamps.

A 7-kg wonder

This book weighs 7 kg and has a thickness of about 5cm. I picked this up at Borders bookshop yesterday for around $38. With a 25% discount voucher that I made use of for the purchase, this book is almost priceless to me. Check it out before stock runs out. Even at the price offered, it is worth every cent.

Personal References Updated

Guide books on nature published by the Singapore Science Centre are inexpensive and great value for money at around $5 each. They are pocket-sized, easy to read with photos that are worth a thousand words each and are dedicated to specific topics on flowers, plants, trees, animals, insects etc. Great for quick references. These are the guides on flowers, plants and trees:

I also collect guides on birds, animals and butterflies.
I like books that contain good photos that would help me identify the flowers, plants and trees that I am unfamiliar with as well as giving me information that is precise without my having to read a whole lot of scientific or technical details. I chose these books because they meet my needs:
These are expensive books that are around $40. I usually wait for bookshops to have storewide sales of with up to 20% discounts on books. Kinokuniya and Times were pretty good in making such offers once in a while. The book on the left was purchased in Hong Kong at the Cable-car station on Lantau island. It was not more than SGD$20 and includes a CD. It was really money well-spent because it gave a neat presentation of the flora and fauna of Hong Kong with colourful photos and drawings. The book on the right was bought at an airport in China during my trip to Jiuzhaigou. It is written in Chinese but the names of the plants are in English.
I bought these books because my other passion in life is art.
This particular book has a special place in my heart. Unfortunately it fell apart in my hands not because I mishandled the book but because the binding was poorly done. I hope the second edition of this book has a more reliable spine..
The most beautifully illustrated book in my collection is this book.
Each fruit featured had been the artistic effort of an Indonesian artist. The layout of the pages is fantastic. I bought this book some time back at a well-known book store that offered it for $10.50. I bought two. I should have bought ten because they made lovely gifts to friends who can appreciate either the subject or the artwork. If you go to the shops now, this book is twice what I paid for.
The books here were purchased for less than $12 each. The one that is purple in colour on Mint plants cost only $2. Unbelievable but true and I was one lucky gal! The Garden Flowers book was picked up at a small bookshop that has since closed down at Marina Square. Got it for only $8 and it has plenty of photos of flowers. The book on 1001 perennials cost only $3 and my daughter bought it for me. These two books are full-colour and printed on high-quality glossy paper. Love them!
Other than flowers, chancing upon fungi during my walks always make my day. I have more photos on fungi of all sorts than I can handle. Though I have these books, I will never dare to identify the fungi that I have photographed because fungi types are too numerous and complicated. The book in Chinese is thick and heavy and was given as a present by my Taiwanese friend when I visited her a few years ago. If you read Chinese and are interested in Fungi, this would be a book dropped from Heaven.
Books on birds, insects and the Chek Jawa Guide book.
Books, booklets and publications that have been given to me free of charge.

The Private Life of Plants

One day, I was browsing in a CD shop and came across this DVD pack. I thought it would cost a fortune to own it and nearly betrayed my joy by yelling 'Cheap, cheap!' when I was told that it cost only $20. Twenty Bucks! Where on earth do you get such quality stuff for that kind of price? Once in a while, you strike gold when you walk into a CD shop or bookshop and I certainly did.

My collection of books on flowers, plants & trees

Some of the books on flowers, plants and trees in my collection:

Boo, C. M. et tal (2003). 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore. National Parks Board.
Botanica’s Trees and Shrubs (1999). Laurel Glen Publishing, United States.Chan, E.(1998). Tropical Plants of Malaysia & Singapore. Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. Chan, G.L. et al (1998). A Guide to Toxic Plant of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre.
Eilliot, B. (2003). Flora – An Illustrated History of the Garden Flower. Royal Horticultural Society.Engel, D.H., Phummai, S. (2000). A Field Guide to Tropical Plants of Asia. Times Editions, Singapore.Choo-Toh, G.T. (1985). A Guide to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Singapore Science Centre.
Foo, T.S. & Kwok, P (2000) A Guide to Common Garden Animals. Singapore Science Centre.Foo, T.S.(1985). A Guide to Wildflowers of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre. Ministry of National Development, Parks and Recreation Dept. (1994). A Guide to Skyrise Gardening. Singapore Science Centre.
Ng, Angie B C et al (2005) A Guide to the Fabulous Figs of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre.Poulinin, I.(1987). Plants and Flowers of Singapore. Times Editions Pte Ltd. Random House Australia Pty Ltd. (1999). 500 Popular Topical Plants. Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.Random House Australia Pty Ltd. (2000). 500 Popular Indoor Plants. Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.Schuler, S. (Ed), (1983). Garden Flowers. Simon & Schuster Inc., New York.
Tan, Hugh T W & Chua, K. S. (2003) Growing at your Doorstep, 35 Native Plants of Singapore. Singapore Environmental Council.Tan, T.W., Morgany, T.(2001). A Guide to Growing the Native Plants of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre.
Tate, D. (2000). Tropical Fruit. Archipelago Press. Singapore.Tee, S.P., Wee, M.L.(Ed) (2001). Trees of our Garden City. National Parks Board. Warren, T. (1996). Tropical Plants of Malaysia & Singapore. Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Wee, Y.C. (1989). A Guide to Wayside Trees of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre.Wee, Y.C. (1992). A Guide to Medicinal Plants. Singapore Science Centre.Wheeler, W. (2003) Botanical Illustration. L’Aventurine, Paris.