Orchid Thief

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

Intrigued by the case of a Florida flower-thief, Susan Orlean enters the extraordinary world of orchid-obsessives.

Susan Orlean first met John Laroche when visiting Florida to write for the New Yorker about his arrest for stealing rare ghost orchids from a nature reserve. Fascinated both by Laroche and the world she uncovered of orchid collectors and growers, she stayed on, to write this magical exploration of obsession and the strange world both of the orchid obsessives and of Florida, that haunting and weird 'debatable land' of swamps and condos, retirement communities and real-estate scams.

The world of the orchid hunters, breeders and showmen, their rivalries, vendettas and crimes, smuggling, thefts and worse provide the backdrop to a fascinating exploration of one of the byways of human nature, the obsessive world of the collector, and the haunting beauty of the flowers themselves.

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Paperback / softback
ISBN13: 9780099289586
Published: May 2000

Number of pages: 368
Width: 129 mm
Height: 198 mm
Depth: 22 mm

Publisher: Vintage Publishing