Denise, mine's on the way so... I guess I'll just enjoy the watercolors and the years of rose experience he imparts. I had one of his roses that is in the book, Nahema, but it died early on. I think it would have been a beauty - old or not. Maybe mine will come Saturday. Sherry

So far we have 7 people (counting me) willing to join: debbya sguanzon beth_b_kodiak summerfireflys earthlydelights lilylouise Since this is a busy time of year (kids back to school, squeezing in that summer vacation you meant to take, Labor Day, etc) I will re-post this RR suggestion in mid September. Or maybe even later in the year when garden chores are less pressing. Thoughts? Ideas?

I can recommend this store and the owner - no affiliation other than its a place I've done business and know to be reputable. She deals in rare and collectible books and if she is not interested in purchasing anything of your friend's collection, she would likely know who might be or know if it's not worth pursuing. Titles Inc 1831 St Johns Ave highland Park, Il 60035 847-432-3690

"She is not looking to make money; she wants the books to stay as sets and to be appreciated. So the obvious solutions such as booksellers, public libraries, and even the US Dept of State annual book fair are not suitable." It's of course easier to be pragmatic when the situation is not personal but here goes....your friend is trying to dictate from beyond the grave so to speak. She is asking that her possessions be disposed of in a way that requires you to meet two conditions that are probably not possible (they must be appreciated and must stay in a set). Agreeing to honor these stipulations will also entail a very arduous and most likely futile effort on your part. The reality is that deciding one's possessions must be handled in a certain very prescribed fashion after the owner is gone is a way to try to keep control in the face of the reality that after she is gone, the books become objects that must be disposed of. So the goal actually becomes a choice: give books to people who want, need and will read them OR find a specified donor who will agree to certain conditions (books must stay as a set etc) that really don't have any meaning to anyone other than the deceased person who collected them. And last but far from least, it is an entirely personal decision on YOUR part as to whether and how much time, effort and aggravation you feel you want to take on to try to honor this request which is not practical and likely to be unsuccessful. Aside from keeping books in sets, it's become increasingly more challenging to dispose of books in general other than the very wise and thoughtful options raised in this discussion. Sadly, as the generation raised on 'real' books passes on, all those volumes don't find nearly as many takers as perhaps once was the case.