Christel Kasselmann's book, Aquarium Plants, published in English in one edition to date by Krieger Publishing Company (USA) and translated from the original 1999 German edition, Aquarienpflanzen, is virtually the only reference book we have for our hobby. See contents list below if you're not familiar with this title.
I have read the book cover-to-cover several times. But I was aware from the first time I read it in 2003 that it needs updating. Not only have more plants been introduced to the hobby, but the book is not very good at providing a means of accurately identifying the plants already in circulation.
My question is: What does this book lack? and how can Christel Kasselmann's Aquarium Plants be effectively updated. Currently it is a book whose lifespan is coming to an end. It is a book on the book shelf very occasionally referred to by the planted tank enthusiast.
In my opinion, I would add the following:
- accurate drawings of each plant in both submersed and emersed states, as appropriate. Drawings can help a great deal with idenitifying a plant - more so, perhaps, than photographs. The photographs in the current US edition are somewhat limited in usefulness. Identifying plants is as important as reading about the biotopes in which they are found.
- details of new plants including Toninas etc
Over to you. This book needs some work - or we need another book by another set of authors to bring us up to date. Perhaps there already exists one in German or Dutch? Certainly, when it comes to getting translations of books published in the USA, it is an uphill struggle.
Since Ms. Kasselmann is coming to the USA shortly and members of APC are in touch with her on an occasional basis, perhaps some feedback could be passed on. Maybe we can get a USA publisher who is willing to publish a new edition! My sense of business indicates Krieger certainly is not - but we should be grateful to Krieger for making it possible to have at least one edition in the first place.
Andrew Cribb
I have read the book cover-to-cover several times. But I was aware from the first time I read it in 2003 that it needs updating. Not only have more plants been introduced to the hobby, but the book is not very good at providing a means of accurately identifying the plants already in circulation.
My question is: What does this book lack? and how can Christel Kasselmann's Aquarium Plants be effectively updated. Currently it is a book whose lifespan is coming to an end. It is a book on the book shelf very occasionally referred to by the planted tank enthusiast.
In my opinion, I would add the following:
- accurate drawings of each plant in both submersed and emersed states, as appropriate. Drawings can help a great deal with idenitifying a plant - more so, perhaps, than photographs. The photographs in the current US edition are somewhat limited in usefulness. Identifying plants is as important as reading about the biotopes in which they are found.
- details of new plants including Toninas etc
Over to you. This book needs some work - or we need another book by another set of authors to bring us up to date. Perhaps there already exists one in German or Dutch? Certainly, when it comes to getting translations of books published in the USA, it is an uphill struggle.
Since Ms. Kasselmann is coming to the USA shortly and members of APC are in touch with her on an occasional basis, perhaps some feedback could be passed on. Maybe we can get a USA publisher who is willing to publish a new edition! My sense of business indicates Krieger certainly is not - but we should be grateful to Krieger for making it possible to have at least one edition in the first place.
Note, in 2001 Franckh-Kosmos Verlag in Germany published Pflanzenaquarien gestalten (Aquarium Plant Arrangements) by Christel Kasselmann. English translation of previous link. This title is not available in English.
Andrew Cribb