Betty Wiita's "Dried Flowers for all Seasons" is a very informative book for those getting started in these areas as it covers both drying & pressing. Also "The Complete Book of Everlastings" by Mark & Terry Silber is very good.

For pressing only, I like Penny Black's "Complete Book of Pressed Flowers"

I must warn you -- Growing, drying & pressing becomes addictive and your life may never be the same! Good luck!

Most of my books are older, but some I haven't seen surpassed in good solid information by the newer full-color oversized books, so I'll list my favorites. Perhaps someone might like to seek one on the used-book sites.

Penny Black's books are great! I have "A Passion for Flowers", "Dried Flowers", "Book of Cards & Collages" and "Scented Flowers". The first listed is a great read as well as inspiration toward imaginative use of all sorts of botanical treasure. Very well illustrated.

My best illustrated (mostly in b/w drawings) and most wide-ranging book is by Maureen Foster, entitled "The Flower Arranger's Encyclopedia of Preserving and Drying". She shows a few finished arrangements but it's primarily a fine resource for how to prepare the material.

An older book is Arno & Irene Nehrling's "Garden for Flower Arrangement". My copy is of a Dover reprint in 1976 but I'd urge that if you could locate a copy, it would be invaluable. Back cover states it covers methods for drying 371 different plants. Also covers fresh arrangements, and forcing 53 different types flowers/branches. Only a few b/w illustrations.

Somewhat later book (1987) is Malcolm Hillier & Colin Hilton's 'The Book of Dried Flowers". Nice color illustrations and fairly wide selection of plants covered.

A very useful book is the RD Handbook "Flower Arranging", also edited by Malcolm Hillier, which is about half-devoted to fresh, half to dried flowers. Very well illustrated. Mine is dated 1990 but may still be in print.

I have even more, but these are the most thorough and wide-ranging. I haven't bought any in recent years...possibly there's a great new one that covers even more material. jo

Thanks you VERY much for the wealth of information on drying and pressing to preserve your flowers & other plants. I will try to see if I can borrow some from my public library first. If they are not in print, I'll check out some on-line book sellers. I will have my summer reading "cut out" for me! It will be well worth all the reading and knowledge gained, to preserve our garden "treasures".

I have older books. You might want to do a search on eBay for the older books. In the search area type in the Title you have been given by the GWS members.

Excellent suggestion, Pinecone!

Any book written by Penny Black or Joanna Sheen is a winner. "Fragile Beauty: the Victorian Art of Pressed Flowers" by Sandy Puckett is also a beautiful book.

A couple of suggestions: (1) see what your library or used book store has in stock, and (2) go to amazon.com and do a book search for "dried flowers" or "pressed flowers." A large number of titles will come up--old and new--which will give you a good place to start. Have fun!

go to www.bestbookbuys.com and do a search on pressed flowers. There are many used books available and I have saved alot that way.

I agree with Josh and Ichabod: Penny Black's "Book of Pressed Flowers" is totally inspirational and head & shoulders above any other book I've seen on the subject. She is a truly original artist and inspired me to start pressing and creating compositions myself. My style is quite different from hers but I learned a lot about technique. All her books are beautiful in themselves.

This of course is an old post but I hated to see it disappear. Plus I found that Dover has again reprinted the Nehrlings' book (for only $5.95..!!!) which I just had to mention. It is small but packed solid with information and I still refer to my tattered and note filled copy often. Almost every small tree, shrub, vine or bulb I've planted over 30 years was done because I wanted fresh cuts and dried material in addition to enjoying them in the garden..this book was invaluable.

I hope others will add to this thread again. Are there any more perhaps newer books out there that you can highly recommend? josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Nehrling's Book

A response to the "Pressed Flower" Books..... trust me, I am no expert at any of this, & just recently am very new at learning the technique of "drying & pressing" Flowers.

I ordered a book through Lee Valley to go with my new Microwave Flower Press... it is written by Joanna Sheen and is called: "Microwaved Pressed Flowers," New Techniques for Brilliant Pressed Flowers. It is copyrighted in 1998 and is not a big book, (only 112-pages) but has beautiful color photo illustrations.

The book gives alot of really neat ideas of pressing & drying all kinds of flowers, & also things to make with them. So far, I am enjoying it, but have much to study & read yet!

Hope this helps some... good luck, & blessings with your "pressing & drying!"