(Apologies if you're also on Alpine-L and got this twice.) I'm beginning to collect information on the subject of private specialist plant collections for a planned book on this area, or subdiscipline, of gardening. I would appreciate your thoughts on the following questions. I assure you that I will not quote any persons in print without their express permission and approval of the text. 1. Can you suggest interesting collections of a single genus or family, gathered and maintained by an individual or household, whose proprietors I can interview, correspond with, and/or visit about their work? 2. Why do you think individuals (as opposed to institutions such as botanical gardens) create serious collections of particular kinds of plants? What motivates them? 3. If you are a collector yourself, what kinds of information do you think are important for others beginning to build collections? 4. What are some ways that a notable collection can be perpetuated when the individual who keeps it is no longer able to do so? Do you know of examples where collections have been successfully bequeathed, distributed, or otherwise preserved (e.g., the conifer collection in the National Arboretum in Washington, DC)? 5. How are private collections valuable to science and environmental conservation? Do ethical collectors outnumber "orchid thieves"? Do you know of instances in which material from private collections has been used in habitat restoration? This is just a beginning, but I think I can eventually write a readable and helpful book on this topic. Thank you for your thoughts! Jane McGary Editor, NARGS