Books for Beginners

[CJ Green]

I've searched the site and haven't found any recent threads about recommendations for general-information orchid books. So I hope I'm not duplicating anything here, but I would love to know what intro-level books you find most helpful and why. What are your favorites, the ones you turn to again and again? For experts out there, what books did you use when you got started, that you found gave you the best advice and really sparked your interest? I'll list what I've got, with the pros and "cons" as I see them. I would actually recommend all three, but the third one is a must-have in my opinion.

The Orchid Whisperer, by Bruce Rogers
Pros: Nice size, not overwhelming. The writing is nice and clear, and very encouraging. Lots of good basic information, with helpful photos.
Cons: It has detailed information on 12 orchid types, and more abbreviated info on 10 more, so if you're looking to expand your range of orchids, you may need to look beyond this book. Also, it has a section on decorating with orchids, which may be a plus for some people but isn't something I'm that interested in.

Four Seasons of Orchids, by Ned Nash and Greg Allikas
Pros: Lots of beautiful photos, nice historical info about orchid culture, nice discussions of potting media and growing requirements. Instructions on how to repot different types.
Cons: I have a hard time with the setup of the book; it's organized by season so you need to hunt around the book to find info about a certain species, especially since blooming season can vary. Just not intuitive for me.

Understanding Orchids, by William Cullina
Pros: All the general info about watering, potting, etc is good and the info about lighting and greenhouses is more detailed than in the other books. But the best part for me is the A-Z section on common orchid genera--about 100 pages of info, including the conditions required by each, and good species to try.
Cons: This book makes me want to build a greenhouse and fill it with orchids.