Media Reviews
Anderson is an eminently inviting writer who delivers intriguing descriptions of the characteristics that set these plants apart. He also presents brief but brilliant surveys of ethnobotany and conservation issues.
Booklist 01/02/2001
Excellence we have come to expect from Timber Press. It will long be valued as a source book... [Anderson] has left us a monument that merits high praise.
Gordon Rowley Garden (Peterborough) 03/09/2001
Up-to-date in naming, eminently readable, immaculately presented, abundantly illustrated – for all this the celebrations should resound far outside the cactus community . . . No-one should hesitate to acquire this weighty tome as a prime source of data on one of the most advanced, fascinating and intangible of all plant Families.
Gordon Rowley British Cactus and Succulent Journal 10/06/2001
Buy this book! Buy it now. If you have any interest in cacti, you will not regret investing in such a fact-filled and well-illustrated book. It is by far the best cactus book now in print.
Myron Kimnach Cactus and Succulent Journal 18/04/2001
While it is written in a scientifically accurate way, it as nonetheless very readable so that to be extremely helpful to the cactus enthusiast…. A long-awaited work, and we must be grateful to Dr. Ted Anderson for having accomplished such a monumental effort…. It would be unfair not to mention the publisher, Timber Press, that has done a remarkable job, not only in having carried out such a very well produced book, but also…selling it for a remarkably reasonable price.
Lucio Russo BotanyBooks 07/05/2001
An essential publication for anyone seriously interested in Cacti . . . I strongly recommend cactus growers to buy this book.
Cactus-Mall.com 18/06/2001
An essential, core “user friendly” title for personal, professional, and academic horticultural and gardening reference collections.
Reviewer's Bookwatch 21/05/2001
I believe that this book is a monumental accomplishment and that there is nothing else like it.
Richard Stone Horticultural Society of New York Newsletter 25/06/2001
A landmark work that will prove indispensable to all cactophiles.
Taxon 26/05/2001
This long awaited, monumental study of the cacti is the first complete treatment of the family in almost 80 years . . . The remarkable diversity of cacti is fully described and illustrated in this authoritative encyclopedia, which is both scientifically accurate and readable.
Professional Gardener 26/04/2001
Definitive and beautifully illustrated.
Avant Gardener 29/06/2001
Only one word will suffice to describe our overall impression: The Cactus Family is magnificent!
HortIdeas 26/04/2001
This tome by the late Ted Anderson is like a breath of fresh air on the cactus scene. I would unhesitatingly state that if one required only one book on the cacti, then this would be it. It is extensive, encyclopedic, inclusive and authoritative in its scope.
Paul I. Forster Plant Systematics and Evolution 10/12/2001
Botanists and hobbyists who grow, study, and cultivate cacti will find Anderson’s book a welcome necessity . . . This book is a monumental accomplishment.
Choice 13/07/2001
Anderson, who studied cacti for 45 years, felt there was a need for a scientifically accurate and extensively illustrated book that would be useful for those interested in succulent plants – from students, taxonomists, ethnobotanists and conservationists to anyone wanting to know more about these unusual plants of the New World. This monumental publication surely accomplishes that!
Now one incredible book describes and illustrates the wonders of this spectacular family!
Jane Villa-Lobos Plant Talk 04/07/2001
This book will be of long-term value to professionals as well as hobbyists.
Thane Johnson Library News for Zoos and Aquariums 24/06/2001
The real meat of this large, scholarly work is contained in its encyclopedic treatment of the 125 genera of cacti. [The photographs] are superb and will entice many avid collectors.
David Salman American Gardener 03/10/2001
There is no other book that comprehensively discusses the botany, conservation, cultivation and ethnobotany of cacti than The Cactus Family.
Kevin Janni Botanical Research Institute of Texas 15/10/2001
The photographs of some of the rarest and most sought-after species of Mexican and South American cacti in habitat are superb and will entice many avid collectors who view them.
David Salman American Gardener 15/09/2001
For over eight decades these definitive records ( the publication, The Cactacae) have been the authority on the plant family Catacae. Edward Anderson’s The Cactus Family is now the hallmark publication.
Bruce Asakawa Garden Compass 28/11/2001
A technical reference for nomenclature and botanic descriptions, as well as an excellent guide to refer to when looking up individual species. Both informative and practical.
David Salman American Gardener 28/09/2001
This is [Anderson’s] life work – for all cactus maniacs who want to cultivate these startingly beautiful dryland American succulents. . . Everything you need to know in one great volume.
Jane Cole Wired Gardener 01/12/2001
It is an outstanding volume for any who have more than a casual interest in cacti.
Reviewer's Bookwatch 10/11/2001
There simply is no other book about this subject that is as comprehensive or up to date. I predict it will be another 10 years or more before any book comes along that will serve as a good substitute.
Diana Pederson Suite101.com 02/11/2001
It is a pleasure to read about so many rarely seen cacti, illustrated with good color photographs throughout. . . . A great work that anyone who gardens in the sun will want to own.
Sean Hogan Rock Garden Quarterly 13/02/2002
This new standard will be much in demand among botanists, gardeners and plant enthusiasts.
Lawrence Looks at Books 22/06/2001
This book will be an essential reference in every research library, and should reside on the shelf of every serious cactus enthusiast.
Arthur C. Gobson Quarterly Review of Biology 22/03/2002
This marvelous resource has been well worth waiting for. . . . For those interested in growing cacti in their homes and gardens, Brown's advice. . . is a valuable bonus to this specialized encyclopedia. . . . Over 1,000 stunning color photographs (many by Anderson), which are overwhelming in their portrayal of both the beauty and the idiosyncratic nature of cacti. . . . It will be difficult for cacti enthusiasts to wean themselves from this prodigious book. . . . This splendid work stands alone at the top of its genre.
Lynn C. Westney E-Streams 22/03/2002
This work is a comprehensive horticultural guide that is as much a scholarly handbook as it is a coffee-table picture album.
Mary Ellen Snodgrass American Reference Books Annual 23/04/2001
This is a very thorough treatment of the subject – there’s little more you could learn about cacti after reading this book. . . . A book like this enriches our knowledge and may encourage people’s interest in growing unusual plants.
American Gardener 28/05/2002
The long-awaited comprehensive study of Cactaceae.
Wisley Bookshop 28/05/2002
As a typically superior publication of horticultural Timber Press, it will stand for years as the single most important contribution to the understanding of cactus.
Maureen Gilmer Scripps Howard News Service 18/10/2004
