Palms of New Guinea - Pre-publication offer!!

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

I am delighted to announce that the long-awaited book Palms of New Guinea is now available to pre-order!

The book is scheduled to be published in February 2024, but you can already purchase it via Kew's online shop:

https://shop.kew.org/palms-of-new-guinea

Members of the IPS can receive a 20% discount on pre-orders - we are glad to extend this offer to members of Palmtalk too.  Just quote the code "PALM" at checkout and your discount will be applied.

The book is authored by an international team comprising William J. Baker,  Anders S. Barfod, Rodrigo Camara-Leret, John L. Dowe, Charlie D. Heatubun, Peter Petoe, Jessica H. Turner, Scott Zona and John Dransfield. Every species is illustrated with botanical artwork by award-winning botanical artist Lucy T. Smith and with over 600 photographs. Further details:
• Comprehensive guide to all 250 palm species in New Guinea
• Includes 91 ‘new-to-science’ species described during the production of this book
• Maps, habitat information, scientific naming and description for each species
• Unprecedented compendium of local names and uses
• Companion publication to Trees of New Guinea (Kew Publishing, 2022)

Follow the link for a sneak peak at the content. Note that, later in 2024, the book will become available via our distributors (including in the US). Pre-publication orders will be shipped from the UK.

[Cindy Adair]

Thank you Bill!
 

I could not wait and placed my preorder!
 

After meeting Bill, reading many articles about the group’s years of New Guinea adventures full of amazing discoveries, gathering samples, taking photos and many hours of analysis and writing, the book is a bargain!

Those of you who generously donated to the PT run IPS Tahina fundraiser might recall the meticulous and beautiful artwork of Tahina. The artist Lucy Smith kindly allowed us to use her design on commemorative T shirts and mugs, both of which I own. 
 

Lucy did the illustrations for this exciting New Guinea book and those of us who met her at Kew in London last Spring got a sneak preview on the designs.
 

Her artwork alone is worth the price of the book. 

I used the discount Bill kindly supplied which in effect covered some of the shipping cost from the UK to PR. 

Don’t miss out.

[Kim]

Thank you Bill! I love this! 

I don't buy very many books anymore, but like Cindy, after meeting you and hearing so much about the work that has gone into the book, seeing Lucy's a-MAZ-ing work, as well as hearing a good bit of your witty commentary, I was already sold on this tome last spring. 848 pages! What a bargain! I shall place my order before the week is out. Happy Birthday to Me and my garden. Very grateful for the discount, too.

[PalmatierMeg]

Great news! I need that book.

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

Yesterday, at 8pm, I heard the news that Palms of New Guinea has gone to the printers!! Such a relief....!

[Cindy Adair]

How wonderful Bill! I look forward to my very own copy!

[Than]

Can't wait!! 

[happypalms]

I have the first issue and it’s a wonderful book now all have to do is buy the second edition thanks bill great work 

[realarch]

Boy, been awhile since I’ve received a new palm reference. How exciting is that? Time to make room on that over burdened night stand. 😊

Tim

[happypalms]

Well my orders in can’t wait thanks bill now how do I get you to sign it for me 

[knell]

91 new species! Amazing work, really looking forward to getting this book. I can only imagine all the adventures it took to compile this information, legendary!

[rick]

Do you have any idea when US distributors will have books available? As much as I would like to pre-order, $50 shipping to the US is a bit steep. 

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

Palms of New Guinea is out! 726 pages, 2.5kg, 650 photos, 250 line illustrations - 26 years...!!! Phew.

Stock is shipping to our warehouse now and, I assume, will go from there to our US distributor. I will try to find out more about how all this works and report back.

[Max974]

William, ask Kew to ship to France and especially Reunion, please.

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

3 hours ago, Max974 said:

William, ask Kew to ship to France and especially Reunion, please.

Kew can ship to France. I don't know if it can ship to Reunion (I'm just a botanist!), but when the book gets out to our distributor, it will be reachable via Amazon. 

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

On 2/12/2024 at 3:29 PM, qalsua said:

 

Great discount, but I'd prefer to order from a distributor in the US. Any updates on that?

So they've only just rolled off the printers and are heading to our distributor. Some will end up with Univ Chicago Press with whom we have a partnership. I don't know the timescale yet, but will pass it on when I know. 

[Cindy Adair]

I hope they will send out the preorders soon too.  

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

14 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

I hope they will send out the preorders soon too.  

Me too - but it really has only just rolled off the presses. We have to give the system a chance.

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

UPDATE on availability from US distributor - apparently the publication date is estimated to be the start of June,  to allow time for stock to get there. For now,  you would have to order from Kew or Amazon UK, I think. 

[David B]

Will it be available to buy at the biennial in New Caledonia 

[Max974]

On 14/02/2024 at 18:30, Bill Baker (Kew) said:

Kew peut expédier en France. Je ne sais pas s'il pourra être expédié à la Réunion (je ne suis qu'un botaniste !), mais lorsque le livre parviendra chez notre distributeur, il sera accessible via Amazon. 

Il est disponible sur Amazone fr, je l'ai précommandé.

[PalmatierMeg]

I pre-ordered my copy last fall. Waiting eagerly for its release.

[Kim]

I just ordered on Amazon with free shipping, works out a little better for me than paying the shipping through Kew. Limited inventory.

[Bill Baker (Kew)]

On 2/16/2024 at 2:25 AM, David B said:

Will it be available to buy at the biennial in New Caledonia 

I don't anticipate carrying copies over - it is 2.5kg a piece!

[Cindy Adair]

I just drove to my little rural PR post office today explicitly to pick up my long anticipated copy of Palms of New Guinea all the way from Kew Gardens. 

 

I assure you that the old issues of the Palms journal and the well worn Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms you see in the background were not staged.

They are all on my kitchen table right now along with the much bigger new volume. 

I have resisted looking at the pdf version preferring to wait and savor each page in print. 
 

I know I will love it. Thanks so much Bill and all the authors for years of work to make this happen.
 

[mike in kurtistown]

I found a special package slip in my small town p/o box yesterday for a foreign (Great Britain) package. I had previously gone over part of the Taxonomic Accounts on the pdf version. Yesterday, I made it to the Calyptrocalyx section (reading only about the trunk and leaves, conservation status, and notes). 22 Orania species!! It appears that the taxonomic analysis is heavily weighted to descriptions of the flowers.

What a magnificent achievement this is! I expect to spent a lot more time with this book.