As a professional Botanist/Horticulturist, I found this "Encyclopedia" greatly disappointing. Many Latin names are misspelled. A huge number of important plants are missing. Organizing by common name is full of issues; a cross reference for common/Latin can help those unfamiliar with the scientific names. Cultural information is scant, but historical information is often the bulk of the text. Less history and more variety of plants would be an improvement. Strangely, the references rarely, if ever, mentioned L.H. Bailey's "the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture". This, despite being published in 1928, is a landmark reference. Any serious work in horticulture would do well to consult this cyclopedia.Given the cost of this item, I expected more. I wish I could return it for a refund as it is almost useless to me. I can't enjoy encountering bad information and misspelled names. This is more a history book for some plants, not an encyclopedia; it is nowhere close to thorough.