On the Book Shelf

By Stephen Kelly, regional editor

Back in the mid-1970s in Cancun, Mexico before those miles and miles of pristine beaches were Miami Beachified, I worked for Club Med, situated on Punta Nizuc, bisecting the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. My favorite place was a little spot by the palapa at sunset. No need for Zen, Yoga or TM-just look at the red and orange hues reflecting off the sea as the sun set and listen to the whoosh of the wind in the palm fronds.

I've enjoyed the wind in the palm fronds from the Lesser Antilles, to Hawaii, to Bora Bora and Tahiti. Admittedly I would find pleasure in gazing upon most any sort of tree in those settings, but palms have that quintessential something that draws attention, whether it be ancient Egyptians going down the Nile viewing the date palms along the shore, or the men who sailed with Captain Cook to the South Pacific gathering the fruit of the coconut palm, or the modern-day beach goer in Santa Monica enjoying the sight of towering Mexican fan palms swaying in the breeze coming off the Pacific.

David Leaser, a member of the International Palm Society, has visited some of the most beautiful palm gardens on the planet to photograph their splendor. His beautiful pictorial ?EUR??,,????'??coffee table?EUR??,,????'?? book is the result, Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs.

The love for palms is perhaps no where better epitomized that in England during the 19th century. Leaser notes that country's quest to bring home to its shores exotic palms, resulting in one case of the construction in 1840 of the Palm House in Kew, England to display palm varieties.

When it comes to palms in the U.S., you think Southern California, Florida and Hawaii, as does Leaser. Leaser's photography in our backyard, Southern California, includes the Huntington Library, the Los Angeles Arboretum, San Simeon (Hearst Castle), Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Santa Monica, Will Rogers Park, and Westwood. I was recently at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, Calif., to do a feature on the property. King, queen and Senegal palms border the reflecting pool there. The king and queen palms are particularly popular in Southern California. Leaser has several images of the king palm and its distinctive amethyst flowers that hang down, along with an image of a queen palm.

Besides being a visual treat, the book is interesting and informative reading. One of the appeals of palms is the specie's great variety. If you're thinking ?EUR??,,????'??palms?EUR??,,????'?? for your next project, this book is a great place to explore the possibilities.