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Rataj & Horeman (1977) Aquarium Plants



At an online bookstore, I've just run across a used copy of:

Rataj, Karel & Thomas J. Horeman. 1977. Aquarium Plants, Their
Identification, Cultivation and Ecology. T.F.H. Publications, NJ. 448 pp.

on sale for about $70.  Now I love reading and collecting all sorts of 
aquatic plant literature, but $70 seems a little steep to me.  

On http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/jul/aquatic/default.asp, 
Karen Randall wrote that Rataj & Horeman (1977) is "20 years out of 
date, and there have been numerous changes in nomenclature in the 
interim ... [I]t is still a classic.  It is well illustrated with a combination of 
black and white and color photos, although I would question the identity of 
some of the plants in the photos..."   Does anyone disagree with Karen's 
opinion of the book?

Now I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do with $70 than buy an out-of-
date book with low-quality photographs and labeling errors, but at the 
same time, I don't want to pass up a classic.  I've checked the APD 
archives, and most reviewers seemed rather underwhelmed, given that (in 
their view) more recent and better quality books have become available.  
Also, there are rumors in the archive (ca. 1998) about a second edition 
possibly coming out.  Any news about that?

If anyone would like to part with their copy of Rataj & Horeman (1977), I 
might be interested, if the price is right, i.e. a lot less than $70!  (Please 
e-mail me offlist at bundyd at semantique_com)

TIA

David Bundy
Paris
(here's hoping the Kasselmann translation really does come out in January)