yes,Raven is a foundational standard text for undergraduate coursework in the field of Botany.For diversity of thought,I might suggest other considerations based on peer reviewed classics...Oftentimes when developing concepts are initially presented to the science community,great effort is made to format these ideas in a lucent,unfragmented style,before the science progresses and specializes in such a fashion that(hard to follow) anachronisms take hold for matter of convienience...Still, one has to weigh whether or not the time and money invested in such works is worth the effort.In other words,are the works considered outdated or not?If this forum is about Botany,well, I know of no complete text that addresses all that Botany encompasses...It would be a defeating purpose if one finds my recommendations overwhelming.What is implied is that the subject is a long term,casual pursuit which must fit in the scheme of our own individual lives.... a few suggestions for consideration: the original works of G.Ledyard Stebbins: Variation and Evolution in Plants;Columbia University Press 1950// Flowering Plants Evolution above the Species Level;the Belknap Press of Harvard University 1974 ISBN 0-674-30685-0 Jens Clausen- The Evolution of Plant Species; Cornell University Press 1951 >Also google '11th New Phytologist Symposium on Plant Speciation' George H.M.Lawrence- Taxonomy of Vascular Plants ;Cornell University Press 1951 Merritt Lyndon Fernald-Gray's Manual of Botany;D,Van Nostrand Co 1970 there are others...Again, if we are considering the phenomenon of what one sees out there...one must consider the impact of stresses(both biotic and abiotic!) and whether or not the particular genotype has the innate resources to to cope thoughout the various stages of its lifecycle(What is implied is that dysfunctional genes based on pollen load may cascade and lessen an individual's competetive edge)One also must consider is the randomness of seed dispersal and exactly where a particular seed finds itself:ie plant-plant interactions which may be a positive influence for seedling establishment or antagonistic... so it would seem wise to consider a good academic text pertaining to plant pathology such as:George N. Agrios-Plant Pathology;Academic Press...and plant nutrition based on both plant physiology and endemic soils:Horst Marschner-Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants:Second Edition;AcademicPress 2002 A perspective that is important to me is that (land) plants are sessile organisms that are not static- google: 'genetic crosstalk +plants'For another example,it is more worth my effort if the study of photosynthesisis is approached from the viewpoint of the interplay of circadian rhythms and the changing dynamics of light do to the impact of leaf canopies... hope this helps

susanjf, you are so nice to have checked that info for me! As I mentioned before, I am not so fearless anymore, I'd probably have a stress attack driving thru Chicago. I do have a cousin who lives there, she's a jazz singer. Her name is Alison Ruble (has a website also). I bet Jeff Smith's signing was memorable. lol. I purchased "Falco: The Official Companion" from Amazon just a few minutes ago - in hardcover so less. Usually I only buy paperbacks. In case anyone is interested, here is the list, in order of publication, of the titles in the series. I said I had read "all 21", well I should have said "all 20". The companion novel is number 21. The Silver Pigs (1989) Shadows in Bronze (1990) Venus in Copper( 1991) The Iron Hand of Mars (1992) Poseidon's Gold (1993) Last Act in Palmyra (1994) - my favorite of all Time to Depart (1995) A Dying Light in Corduba (1996) Three Hands in the Fountain (1997) Two for the Lions (1998) - my second favorite One Virgin Too Many (1999) Ode to a Banker (2000) A Body in the Bath House (2001) The Jupiter Myth (2002) The Accusers (2003) Scandal Takes a Holiday (2004) See Delphi and Die(2005) Saturnalia(2007) Alexandria(2009) Nemesis(2010)

Here are some salient reviews of The Interestings: "The Interestings", a go even though I'd been disappointed by her last novel. I'm glad I listened to them! "The Interestings" is indeed interesting - AND well written, thoughtful and both witty and touching. I can make the case that "The Interestings" can be considered a historical novel of the past 4 decades; I call that "recent" history because I can remember it! Reading about the 1980s for example, brought back memories of: - the first cases of AIDS and how bewildering that was - the first cordless phones - mugger-full and dirty NYC - the first soapy taste of the now ubiquitous herb cilantro - the Moonies - "Women's Lib" being the term to describe feminism This novel is full of such memories because it's about six friends who meet in a summer camp for artistic kids in the 70s and it follows their lives into the present, touching on each decade as they make their way to adulthood. The novel moves quickly and is never boring or slow as many things happen to each of these people as they face their lives. It felt voyeuristic - in a good way - to follow their ups and downs. I could relate because I also "grew up" at the same time. There is a bit of jumping around in time and significant foreshadowing which I found to be an effective story-telling device here. There are many "themes" in the novel; friendship, the nature of art, the meaning of "talent", loss of innocence, sexual attraction, and the relationship between art and money, to name a few. But I think the theme that interested ME the most, was the theme of envy and it's ugly and corrosive nature. Let me get this out of the way right now: this is a tremendous book. I have a couple of criticisms, which I will get to, but hot damn. Meg Wolitzer has written an astonishingly clever, detailed novel, and the utmost respect must be given to that. Remember this book, because it will definitely be popping up again when people begin compiling best-of lists for 2013. But let's talk about the novel, shall we? In 1974, six teenagers meet at a summer camp for the arts and jokingly refer to themselves as The Interestings--exactly the kind of ironic, half-kidding-half-hopeful joke that captivates them at that moment in time. The six run the gamut of the art world: a dancer, a musician, an animator; an actress who wants to further the cause of feminism in theater, a wannabe architect, and a comedic actress. The latter character, Jules, forms the center of our story. Significantly, she's also the outlier. Jules isn't an artist when she ends up at Camp Spirit-in-the-Woods. It's unclear how she found her way to a camp for artists when there were so many different options out there (one of those woefully nitpicky details that nevertheless irked me); she simply wanted an escape from her family and the grief they all feel after the abrupt death of her father from cancer. What's important is that she's an outsider in this world when...

Sheri, I listened to the song and I like the singer's voice and the music, but I'm not sure that I would've ever picked up on the association of that song with Silverstein's book, except for the title. Was it something that immediately came to you? I'm wondering now if the book was actually aimed at children or adolescent readers in the first place. I know it was marketed as such and can be found in children's sections of bookstores and libraries, and the illustrations are cartoon-type drawings that might draw young readers to it; but somehow it doesn't seem like a story that would arrest many young readers I've known, except perhaps the most sensitive and perceptive ones. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems more to me to be a book for adult readers that just happens to look like a kids' book. After reading the synopsis and reviews of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, I think I'll give it a pass. Iris, I think leaving out Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a shame, but luckily his popularity isn't dependent on some snooty writers' list. I suspect that most of the lists by writers who claim such-and-such classics influenced them are disingenuous. If they weren't afraid of appearing less than well read, they might admit their main influences were more along the lines of pulp fiction. Ever notice how similar these danged lists always are? I think they just copy each other.