Flowers of the Himalaya

Fwd: Child in Manali looking at Flowers of the Himalaya : 5 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (1)

During one of the two botanical tours I led to H.P. in the mid-1980s, I walked up to Old Manali from the guest-house my group were staying in
with the doctor on the tour and took this slide.
I had a copy of ‘Flowers of the Himalaya’ with me which I showed to the local children who had gathered.  They were able to recognise some of their local plants in the pictures.
The older boy holding the book had a baby brother on his back – who clearly was NOT impressed with illustrations of Himalayan flora!! 

Thanks a lot, … Light moment for a change.

That was a nice moment you captured, … 

Thank you for sharing.
Hoping more and more children will get hooked on to flowers and plants.

Good to, hopefully, bring a smile to members’ faces – rather than being controversial or long-winded. 

This book and its supplement has been used as the most important guide to the flowers of the Western Himalaya. We still do not have any standard alternative to it even after three decades.  
My salutations to Oleg Polunin, Adam Stainton and their team for this marvelous piece of work.

Yes, Polunin & Stainton deserve considerable credit as do the others who contributed their photos:
Sir Barclay Bart, Len Beer, Dr C. Grey-Wilson, A.B.C. Harrison, A.Huxley, R.Lanacster, D J McCosh, D.Sayers, G.Smith, L.H.J. Williams (who participated, like Bill Sykes in 1950s expeditions to Nepal with Polunin & Stainton). 
But one must not forget Ann Farrer for the line-drawings/botanical illustrations – an aspect of guides often forgotten.
I was approached a few years back about the possibility of preparing and co-authoring a popular guide to West Himalayan Flowers.  I IMMEDIATELY raised MAJOR problems.
As there is no up-to-date flora of the NW Himalaya and the floras which have been published are unreliable, it is IMPOSSIBLE to arrive at a SATISFACTORY summary.
The guides to flowers in Europe or parts of the US are based upon RELIABLE floras – which must come first.
I am not prepared to work on/complete a poor-quality publication.
There is also the OBSTACLE of devoting YEARS of effort to a publication and paying for its publication with a high standard of printing and colour.
Flowers of the Himalaya was PUBLISHED in India with the colour reproduction REASONABLE. The colour reproduction in almost all botanical books in India since then has been POOR to DREADFUL.
I don’t understand why such INFERIOR standards are accepted. EVERYONE who buys them should DEMAND a refund.
How can ‘Flowers of the Himalaya’ back in 1983 be of a reasonable standard yet since then other printers in India produce such poor work.
It should NOT be acceptable.

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