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The Orchid Thief A True Story of Beauty and Obsession Susan Orlean signed PB

friendsofthespringfieldlibrary-ma
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Item specifics

Condition
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Seller Notes
“Good”
ISBN
9780449003718
Book Title
Orchid Thief : a True Story of Beauty and Obsession
Item Length
8.2in
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Publication Year
2000
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Item Height
0.7in
Author
Susan Orlean
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, Nature, Travel, Gardening
Topic
Plants / Flowers, Special Interest / Adventure, Adventurers & Explorers, General, Flowers / Orchids, Environmentalists & Naturalists
Item Width
5.5in
Item Weight
9.2 Oz
Number of Pages
320 Pages

About this product

Product Information

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK A modern classic of personal journalism, The Orchid Thief is Susan Orlean's wickedly funny, elegant, and captivating tale of an amazing obsession. Determined to clone an endangered flower--the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii-- a deeply eccentric and oddly attractive man named John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of America's strange flower-selling subculture, through Florida's swamps and beyond, along with the Seminoles who help him and the forces of justice who fight him. In the end, Orlean--and the reader--will have more respect for underdog determination and a powerful new definition of passion. In this new edition, coming fifteen years after its initial publication and twenty years after she first met the "orchid thief," Orlean revisits this unforgettable world, and the route by which it was brought to the screen in the film Adaptation, in a new retrospective essay. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more. Praise for The Orchid Thief "Stylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean's] gifts in full bloom." -- The New York Times Book Review "Fascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing." -- Los Angeles Times "Orlean's snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures." -- The Washington Post Book World "Orlean's gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description." -- Boston Sunday Globe "A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great." -- The Wall Street Journal

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
ISBN-10
044900371x
ISBN-13
9780449003718
eBay Product ID (ePID)
6038308781

Product Key Features

Book Title
Orchid Thief : a True Story of Beauty and Obsession
Author
Susan Orlean
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Plants / Flowers, Special Interest / Adventure, Adventurers & Explorers, General, Flowers / Orchids, Environmentalists & Naturalists
Publication Year
2000
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, Nature, Travel, Gardening
Number of Pages
320 Pages

Dimensions

Item Length
8.2in
Item Height
0.7in
Item Width
5.5in
Item Weight
9.2 Oz

Additional Product Features

Reviews
"Like the orchid, a small thing of grandeur, a passion with a pedigree . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean's] gifts in full bloom." --The New York Times Book Review "A LESSON IN THE DARK, DANGEROUS, SOMETIMES HILARIOUS NATURE OF OBSESSION . . . YOU SOMETIMES DON'T WANT TO READ ON, BUT FIND YOU CAN'T HELP IT." --USA Today "IRRESISTIBLE . . . A brilliantly reported account of an illicit scheme to housebreak Florida's wild and endangered ghost orchid. Its central figure is John Laroche, the 'oddball ultimate' of a subculture whose members are so enthralled by orchids they 'pursue them like lovers.' " --Minneapolis Star Tribune "FASCINATING . . . TALES OF THEFT, HATRED, GREED, JEALOUSY, MADNESS, AND BACK-STABBING . . . AN ENGROSSING JOURNEY." --Los Angeles Times "ARTFUL . . . In Ms. Orlean's skillful handling, her orchid story turns out to be distinctly 'something more.' . . . Orchids, Seminole history, the ecology of the Fakahatchee Strand, the fascination of Florida to con men. . . . All that she writes here fits together because it is grounded in her personal experience. . . . [Her] portrait of her sometimes sad-making orchid thief allows the reader to discover acres of opportunity where intriguing things can be found." --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt    The New York Times "DELICIOUSLY WEIRD . . . COMPELLING." --Detroit Free Press "ZESTFUL . . . A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great. Here are visionary passions and fierce obsessions; heroic feats accomplished in exotic settings; outsize characters, entrepreneurs at the edge of the frontier, adventurers. . . . Orlean, an intrepid sociologist among the orchid fanatics, is also a poetic observer." --The Wall Street Journal, "Stylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean's] gifts in full bloom." -- The New York Times Book Review   "Fascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing." -- Los Angeles Times   "Orlean's snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures." -- The Washington Post Book World   "Orlean's gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description." -- Boston Sunday Globe   "A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great." -- The Wall Street Journal From the Hardcover edition., "Stylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean's] gifts in full bloom." -- The New York Times Book Review "Fascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing." -- Los Angeles Times "Orlean's snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures." -- The Washington Post Book World "Orlean's gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description." -- Boston Sunday Globe "A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great." -- The Wall Street Journal
Copyright Date
2002
Target Audience
Trade
Lccn
99-090911
Dewey Decimal
635.9/344/09759
Dewey Edition
21

Item description from the seller

friendsofthespringfieldlibrary-ma

friendsofthespringfieldlibrary-ma

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4.8
10 product ratings
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See all 10 reviews
  • by tobem-93
    Jul 29, 2020Top critical review

    i was always interested in the title.disappointed in the story. i now know nut to read anyting by susan orlean

    well the book was in good shape. all the pages were intact and no writing on the pages. as for the story, there wasn't much about a story of john LaRoche steeling. but more of somebody having to write an essay with a certain number of words to pass.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: discover-books

  • by 40truckman
    Apr 22, 2024

    Book in good shape

    Book in good shape

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: alibrisbooks

  • by geeg56
    Apr 13, 2024

    Something Coming Up Orchids

    An incredible educational and entertaining book. A must read for the orchid lover.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: your_online_bookstore

  • by zylmn
    Jun 22, 2016

    Very interesting story, since its true and unusual

    I liked this book because it took me to the world of orchid collectors, and Florida Seminole Indians.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: NewSold by: barnesandnobleinc

  • by sailboatlady
    Oct 28, 2020

    orchid history and smuggling good book

    very interesting book -did not know the situation of orchid collecting would be such a good read

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: betterworldbookswest

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