RHODORA, No. 185-187, 2004 Vol. 106, 926, pp. BOOK REVIEW Manual Vascular Plants Northeastern United States and Adjacent of of Canada, Second Edition by Henry A. Gleason and Arthur + ISBN 993 Cronquist. 1991 (seventh printing, 2004). xlvi pp. New The York 0-89327-365-1 $69.00 (hardcover). Botanical NY. Garden Bronx, Press, — My ww wondering why do you want book e-mail read: Just the reviewed when the second edition has been out for years?" The reason now new wonderful book, seventh printing, has several is that this in its make worth your buying copy. Most and useful features that will a it made noticeably: the cover has changed, corrections have been in the now the indexes have been expanded, and there are photographs text, and biographies of Gleason and Cronquist included the volume. short in The new The thing you'll notice the cover. bright green, slightly first is flexible, hard cover has been replaced by a stiffer cover that is darker green and illustrated with an impression of a beautiful drawing of Lihodendron by Bobbi Angell. Inside the front cover there the helpful tulipifera is still map outline of the 48 contiguous states with the shaded portion re- A presenting the coverage of the Manual. very useful feature printed inside UNH we back cover something have been having students the is a ruler, at books The Manual dimensions have been tape into their for years. increased slightly while retaining the pagination of previous printings; Companion. thus, the page numbers match those in the Illustrated still made There have been several positive changes in the front matter. First, now there a table of contents, which will be very helpful for locating is Of number a family quickly. course, you can find the page for a family still by scanning the expanded index section. Second, there a foreword is made Manual Holmgrens changes and written by the describing the to the Holmgren Noel has asking for corrections for future editions. Third, Henry Gleason and Arthur contributed short biographies of Allan — who Cronquist a delight for of us love history as well as systematics. all The photos are classics, too: Dr. Gleason with an armload of folders of herbarium specimens, and Dr. Cronquist in his office with his feet up on absorbed book and surrounded by books and specimens. the table, in a summary has been added the page with Fourth, a short to floristic "more frequently used abbreviations. Fifth, the listing of frequently cited suppose was botanical authors" has been out of this printing. left I it keep manageable and those abbreviations can difficult to this to a size, list am be found elsewhere, but sad to see gone because like to think that it 1 I 185 186 Rhodora [Vol. 106 students in systematics classes found helpful and interesting. Sixth, the it moved glossary has been to follow the text. new Although the printing not a revision of the text of the second is some edition, does incorporate corrections nomenclature suggested in it by members of the botanical community. In addition, in some cases nomenclature has been changed agree with published volumes to that in of Flora of North America North of Mexico and synonyms have been added. Author abbreviations have been standardized agree with to A Brummitt and Powell's /\/f//w/w of Plant Names. very helpful change, I now names think, that a period follows only those are abbreviated; is that common name name several spaces set off the from the scientific and the description. Miscellaneous errors have also been corrected during The we proofreading. very useable keys and thorough descriptions are familiar with from previous printings constitute the bulk of the volume. The back matter has been changed considerably and this printing, in now A includes the glossary and an expanded index section. couple o( changes style to note in the glossary are that there no longer a wide is space setting off the term from its definition (I'm sorry to see that gone now because found and helpful, visually), there a blank I it is line to indicate the transition to the next letter in the alphabetical listing of The terms. terms are still easy to pick out in the because of the list A new boldface type. big change in the printing of the Manual the is revised and expanded indexing, contributed by Neil Harriman. In this common volume, and names have been scientific put into separate me which indexes, be kind of will frustrating for since frequently find I myself wrong drifting into a search of the other books with list in down separate indexes (the side of being bilingual with respect to plant As more names). a benefit, entries are offered in each index. In the index names, have been to scientific infraspecific taxa not those all listed, just Synonyms in selected genera. and taxa casually mentioned the in text are listed as well, and are set apart by being in italic type. In the separate common much index to names, a more detailed listing provided than is in previous printings with the combined index. The result an index is number section that almost double the of pages than previous is in printings, and which should prove be extremely The to useful. last change book to this section of the that there are no Ionizer blank pases is available for notes. The new final page of this printing of Gleason and Cronquist's Manual of Vascular Plants has a photo of Arthur Cronquist's back as he My walks off into the woods, a book held behind him. favorite since — now published in second edition the very useable and corrected and its Book Review 187 2004] — my Manual expanded will continue to be choice in the field as well as microscope. the at — New Janet R. Sullivan, Department of Plant Biology, University of NH Hampshire, Durham, 03824.