Dear All: Now we are ending 2003 and beginning a new year, I wish all Happy New Year and good gardening in the coming year. I wonder what your selection of the best books from 2003 would be. Timber Press, in my opinion, lead the list of best publishers, and seldom do they publish any book that is not worth having. No doubt I am biased in this, but so be it. I also wonder what books are needed that are still to be written. I hope all from time to time look at the books published by The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Often these are Kew Magazine Monographs, and are authoritative and so well illustrated. An example would be the Genus Arum by Peter Boyce While Curtis's Botanical Magazine is not inexpensive, it is a sound investment. The cost is $84.00 and a sample copy can be obtained by e-mail to customerservices@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com quoting the name of the journal. Volume 20 Part 4, November 2003, had on its cover Cyrtanthus guthrieae and the description of this species by Graham Duncan. He states this is summer or winter growing, his comments regarding the propagation and cultivation of this species will be of interest to all growing any species of this genus. In this same issue, Graham writes about: Ammocharis nerinoides, ( originally described as Crinum nerinoides) Lachenalia peersii, and L. salteri. His article Endangered geophytes of the Cape Floral Kingdom, is also very good. in this November issue there is also an article on Francis Mason: collecting plants for King and Country, also a good one. I last saw Graham while in the shop at Cape Point, I think I was surprised as he was to see each other and we looked at each other trying to overcome the surprise of such a chance meeting. What great knowledge he has, and it is always interesting to chat with him. Best wishes to all Bulb Lovers! Cheers, John E. Bryan