New Banana Book

[fruitlovers]

I just got the new banana book by Angela Kepler. I've only glanced through it, but it seems like a real masterpiece!  It's a large format book, like Morton's, and also encyclopedic in nature, 585 pages but has lots more color photos throughout, lots of charts, and seems very well organized so anyone can understand it. I think Angela spent about 10 years reasearching this one. A real beaut! Bad news is that it's only available hard cover and it's not cheap: $80. No, i'm not selling it.  But i'm glad i forked over the bucks. I'm very pleased! Only available through University of Hawaii press:
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-8749-9780983726609.aspx
There is a lot of original work done on the Hawaiian type bananas, previously unclassified, but includes all bananas, even including some of the ornamental ones.
Will give more detailed report when i fully delve into it. But it's the kind of book that might take me 10 years to fully absorb. Tons of information!
Oscar

[murahilin]

This book looks good. I may have to add it to my collection. This may cut into my refractometer fund though...

[Tropicalgrower89]

Looks like an interesting book. 

[fruitlovers]

To rectaromefer or not to refractomefer, that is the question!    Honestly, this book is a gold mine, can't wait to get off this stupid computer and actually read it. HAHA  I suspect it's the best banana book ever printed, or will be printed for a long time to come. My congratulations and kudos to Angela Kepler!!!
Angela and hubby visited me here about 10 years ago. She told me she was also working on a tropical fruit book! Told me she wanted to cover a lot of species and also all the cultivars! She is very ambitious lady!  Told me it would take her about 10+ years. Please pray that Angela lives a long time!!! If she does it will be like Morton Pt. 2, new and improved, full color photos. I should phone her and see if it's coming along?
Oscar

[FloridaGreenMan]

Oscar
Have you seen the new "Specialty Crops of the South Pacific" Book by Craig Elevitch?
It is really awesome...
 

[fruitlovers]

Oscar
Have you seen the new "Specialty Crops of the South Pacific" Book by Craig Elevitch?
It is really awesome...
 

Just finished replying on a different thread about this. I saw it, fell in love with it, and decided to add it to collection of books i'm selling. I've been lazy and haven't added it to my website yet. If you're interested in purchasing one contact me offgroup.
Oscar

[murahilin]

To rectaromefer or not to refractomefer, that is the question!    Honestly, this book is a gold mine, can't wait to get off this stupid computer and actually read it. HAHA  I suspect it's the best banana book ever printed, or will be printed for a long time to come. My congratulations and kudos to Angela Kepler!!!
Angela and hubby visited me here about 10 years ago. She told me she was also working on a tropical fruit book! Told me she wanted to cover a lot of species and also all the cultivars! She is very ambitious lady!  Told me it would take her about 10+ years. Please pray that Angela lives a long time!!! If she does it will be like Morton Pt. 2, new and improved, full color photos. I should phone her and see if it's coming along?
Oscar

You've convinced me. I have to buy it now.

[murahilin]

Oscar, you were right. This is one of the best fruit books I've ever seen. It is definitely the best book I've ever seen on a single fruit.

There are a few colored pictures per page, with over 1000 in the entire book I think.  I bought it last week on Amazon from Angela Kepler herself. She is the seller of the book on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/World-Bananas-Hawaii-Then-Now/dp/0983726604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330472890&sr=8-1

[adiel]

Oscar, good find, thanks for sharing.

[fruitlovers]

Oscar, good find, thanks for sharing.

Glad you guys like the new banana book. Just started diving into it. Seems like one of those books that will take me 20 years to assimilate, kind of like the Morton book: encyclopedic in scope...another very hefty book. I like this book because it is so well organized and seems to have something in it for almost everybody, no matter what level you're at. Also (unlike Morton's book) all the photos and charts are fabulous.
Only slightly sad part is that this book originally was intended to be a book about tropical fruits in general. Angela visited me about 10 years ago to take some photos of my fruits and trees for her book. She told me then about the tropical fruit book she was working on. But i see on page xxii of the preface to the banana book that Dr. Chia talked her out of doing a general book on tropical fruits and to just focus only on bananas. Banana fanatics gain  , tropical fruit lover's loss  . Anyway overall it's a gain gain situation as no way she could have gone into so much depth about all tropical fruits.
Oscar

[murahilin]

Glad you guys like the new banana book. Just started diving into it. Seems like one of those books that will take me 20 years to assimilate, kind of like the Morton book: encyclopedic in scope...another very hefty book. I like this book because it is so well organized and seems to have something in it for almost everybody, no matter what level you're at. Also (unlike Morton's book) all the photos and charts are fabulous.
Only slightly sad part is that this book originally was intended to be a book about tropical fruits in general. Angela visited me about 10 years ago to take some photos of my fruits and trees for her book. She told me then about the tropical fruit book she was working on. But i see on page xxii of the preface to the banana book that Dr. Chia talked her out of doing a general book on tropical fruits and to just focus only on bananas. Banana fanatics gain  , tropical fruit lover's loss  . Anyway overall it's a gain gain situation as no way she could have gone into so much depth about all tropical fruits.
Oscar

That sucks. When you mentioned a possible tropical fruit book by her earlier that had me excited because the banana book is so well done. It would have been nice to have a tropical fruit book as good as her banana book. You are right though, it wouldn't be able to be as in depth as the banana book.