The Orchid Thief
by Susan Orlean
- Used
- fair
- Paperback
- Condition
- Fair
- ISBN 10
- 044900371X
- ISBN 13
- 9780449003718
- Seller
-
Missoula, Montana, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
The Orchid Thief is the true story of John Laroche, an obsessed Florida plant dealer willing to go to any lengths to steal rare and protected wild orchids and clone them, all for a tidy profit. But the morality of Laroche's actions do not drive the narrative of Orlean's strange, compelling, and hilarious book. She is much more interested in the spectacle this unusual man creates through his actions, including one of the oddest legal controversies in recent memory, which brought together environmentalists, Native American activists, and devoted orchid collectors. She follows Laroche deep into Florida's swamps, tapping into not only the psyche of the deeply opinionated Laroche but also the wider subculture of orchid collectors, including aristocrats, fanatics, and smugglers whose obsession with plants is all-consuming. Orlean portrays the weirdness of it all in wonderful detail, but, ultimately, the book is primarily about passion itself and the amazing lengths to which people will go to gratify it.
Synopsis
The Orchid Thief is a non-fiction book by American journalist and author Susan Orlean, based on her investigation of the 1994 arrest of John Laroche and a group of Seminoles in south Florida for poaching rare orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. The book is based on an earlier article that Orlean wrote for The New Yorker magazine. Laroche, a plant dealer, was determined to find and clone the rare Ghost Orchid for profit.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- SQ7461856
- Title
- The Orchid Thief
- Author
- Susan Orlean
- Book Condition
- Used - Fair
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 044900371X
- ISBN 13
- 9780449003718
- Publisher
- Ballantine Books
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- January 4, 2000
- LCCN
- 99-90911
- Keywords
- orchids, collecting, obsession, florida, smuggling
- Bookseller catalogs
- General Non-Fiction;
Terms of Sale
The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery
Biblio member since 2020
Missoula, Montana
About The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery
The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery has been operating since 2008 providing a wide range of book repair, conservation, and binding services. Her used book selection is eclectic, but discerning. If you have books you'd like to trade, The Vespiary offers credit for merchandise and services in exchange for books.