Haven't read any of the others you mentioned, but I did just finish reading "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean. In all the stores, I could only find paperback editions, so I bought a 1st edition hard cover off of Amazon.com's Marketplace Seller area. I have to say, it was the best book I've read in a while, definitely a must read, especially if you love orchids. Her writing style is amazing, it's one of those "once you pick it up, you can't put it down" types.

~altair

"Orchid Fever" is a far more intriguing book. Hansen is a better writer
CV

I would be interested to know what makes Orchid Fever intriguing, and what make it "more intriguing" than the Orchid Thief. I have not read either of these books yet, though I have seen the film 'Adaptation', which I enjoyed.

Orchid Thief is a reasonable read; it is the story of one man's obsession with orchids, and the ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii its called now, I think) in particular. The story was originally a piece in the New Yorker, which Susan Orleans expanded into book-length. In my opinion, this shows. The book felt padded.

Story also comes off a bit dated, since part of the obsession with D. lindenii was its supposed "uncultivability". Well, lots of people grow it now. Not easy, but hey, Oak Hill Gardens sells it, and pretty cheaply, for Pete's sake.

Orchid Fever is much more interesting. It's a series of loosely connected essays each featuring a different orchid as the jumping-off point. Hansen tries to illustrate the fever that grips many of us with elegant sketches of some of recent orchid history's most interesting characters. Hansen is not a completely neutral party in some recent orchid controversies, and CITES and Phillip Cribb of Kew, in particular, take some heavy fire.

I would get Orchid Fever and stick it on your shelf; it's a good read and you can pick it up again from time to time to read a chapter or two. Borrow Orchid Thief from the library and return it when done. Or better yet, get a hold of the New Yorker article and skip the book entirely.

Thank you, I'll check out the abbreviated version of the Orchid Thief and take a peek at Orchid Fever as well.

Mike

Orchid Fever is an outstanding read, as are several of Hansen's other books. I read Stranger in the Forrest after Orchid Fever and found it to be a very enjoyable and very easy read as well.
Hansen writes a fun book in an effort to explore and understand what it is about Orchids that leads to such bizarre obsession and addictive behavior in those afflicted.
As noted by Tee530, Hansen addresses some of the issues surrounding CITES with what I thought was a fair and mostly balanced perspective, though it is true that Cribb takes a not entirely undeserved drubbing. His tales of meetings with Orchid Persona or Orchid Diva if you will are particularly entertaining. Hansen relates a somewhat bemused appreciation for just how nutty the obsession with Orchids tends to become in susceptible individuals while at the same time covering a good deal of orchid related history & controversy. In the book he travels the globe to get to the root of the obsession and presents a good many interesting stories and individuals. One of the later chapters hit rather close to home for me relating the story of efforts to rescue some native North American Orchids found in my neighboring state of Minnesota, and the bureaucratic stupidity that was faced by those trying to save some doomed plants.
If you have even a passing interest in Orchids you will not be disappointed, and if you are a fanatic you will likely recognize some of the individuals portrayed in the book making the read that much more enjoyable.

Orchid Fever was good enough for me to want to keep it to read again later. I wanted to take notes about the orchids mentioned and go look them up. Orchid Thief was just OK. But since I read it before I saw the movie, the movie felt like a satire of the book performed with the intent to make fun of people who liked orchids. I was not pleased. But at least Nicholas is easy to watch.
MsFlintlock

Tee530 and rfraser529 gave an excellent rundown of the merits of both. It's been a while since I've read either but I found Orchid Fever to be an interesting and enjoyable summation of the history of orchid collecting/hunting/pillaging with an attempt to understand the motivations behind those doing it. The Orchid Thief was readable but a bit disappointing. I think the problem is that Orlean either didn't have or didn't portray a grasp of what she was writing about. The book is jam packed with misinfromation both about orchids (I found this most grating) and the situations she was writing about with a bias that seemed to imply bad or lazy research. I found The Orchid Thief somewhat void of conservation ethic, or maybe just flippant about it's importance, which left a bit of a sour after taste. I found this a difficult position to take for a story essentially about a person who abused government regulations pertaining to Native American land rights to illegally collect plants for commercial gain. Whether or not you agree with Hansen's opinion of the effectiveness of CITES etc and the motivations behind those who flaunt it, he at least addresses the issue seriously.

Orchid Fever is what incited my "fever" for paphs. Both these books are in my library, but if I could only choose one of the two to read, it would definately be Orchid Fever. Orchid Fever came out the year I got my first orchid, while researching orchid culture I saw this sitting on the shelf...read the first paragraph...and had to take it home. I was still high from Hanson when I found the Orchid Thief. I excitedly scooped it off the shelf expecting it to be as good a read, but it fell flat....very flat. I guess if read first Orchid Thief could be considered decent, but if read second it leaves a lot to be desired. You soon find Orleans research lacking, and her writing tedious and self absorbed. Whereas Hanson researches the hell out of whatever he is writing about and has a style and writing timing that is refreshing.

Wow, many thanks indeed for all the really well-considered reviews.
It seems pretty much unanimous, too, in that Hansen's 'Orchid Fever' is worth reading!
tee530, the original New Yorker article by Susan Orlean is easy to access at her own website (link below, though, confusingly, it was titled Orchid Fever!!), so i will read that, rather than go for the book, at least for now. Many thanks for the good idea.
At the risk of outstaying my welcome... I would also be interested in any opinions or recommendations on the following books:
'Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid', by Tim Ecott
and 'Vanilla : The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance', by Patricia Rain.
Any thoughts?

Here is a link that might be useful: susan orlean

My girlfriend got me this book since she felt I could relate to an orchid kleptomaniac - and she is right. Orchid people will totally relate to this book, and Orleans' style could captivate the non-orchid lover as well. Like any book, there were some "lows" that I just skimmed over. I am going to check out the Orchid Fever. While I agree with the above claims, honetly, it has been a while since I read a book I couldn't put down...maybe because I read too much and am easily amused?

I couldn't put down Orchid Fever. Smiles, laughter, and hoots. I'll read it again. Couldn't slog through more than a couple of chapters of Orchid Thief. Groans and frowns at the style and content.

Whitecat8

I have not read Orchid Fever although from everyone's reviews I will certainly look it up. I started to read Orchid Thief and got about 1/2 way through with the book when I lost interest and could read no more...

Larissa

Another good book for boning up on your orchid history is "History of the Orchid" by Merle Reinikka. I think it's out of print, but you can find copies around. It consists of a number of short chapters, each profiling an important person or era in orchid history. If you've ever wondered who Lindley, Veitch, Cattley, Dominy, etc were and why so many orchid species bear their names, you'll find it here.

The style isn't as engaging as Hansen's (more biographical sketches rather than gripping tales) and there really isn't an overall theme or thread, but as a short reference book, it's worth picking up if you can find it cheap.

I read the Orchid Thief and one other book I borrowed from a friend (I think it may have been like Orchid Fever, something about being a tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy). Both were great books. Thief follows a really eccentric character around the orchid circuit, from shows to swamps, and gives a great analysis of his loathesome and admirable aspects. It's really fascinating and I read it in less than a day and a half. The other book was not as absorbing, but still intriguing. It took me a little more time to finish, but it offered great insight into the history of orchid cultivation. It gave details about how some specimens would be brought over to Europe still attached to the skulls of deceased natives. The plants had been planted at gravesites to honor the dead, and grew into their remains. There were so many illuminating instances, revealing some of the mysteries of the trade, the violence, the frustrations and paradoxes created by CITES, all kinds of great stuff. I loved them both.

RE: Orchid Fever
SO, after reading it this last week, what did all you think of it? I like how Hansen defines the deifference between conservation of orchids from the Midwest to New Guinea and the collection of orchids. I find it ironic, disturbing, and suspicious that institutions of money and power, like Kew and federal agencies cooperating with CITES, has thousands of originally "collected" plants and portray well-meaning conservationalists and scientists who dig up orchids before road crews demolish everything as villians who rape the Earth. That was a very interesting point. I enjoyed that book, a rather eye-opener and interesting bit of information.