The Curious World of Carnivorous Plants: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Biology and Cultivation is an interesting book with, really, two distinct parts. The first part of the book is divided into chapters about habitat, trapping mechanisms, biogeography, etc. The second part is divided into families of plants, rather than genera, as is traditionally the case with carnivorous plant books, such as The Savage Garden.
I really, really liked the first part of the book. It tackled subjects such as types of habitat, which are sometimes lacking in other carnivorous plant books. It also features a discussion of the plants in a way that is very different from most books, which frequently feature the major genera and exclude other, less popular genera.
The second part of the book - the discussion of genera - left a bit to be desired. The division by family was . . . weird. While Pinguicula and Utricularia might be in the same family, their growing conditions are very different, for most species. Further complicating the division of genera is that the authors don't provide very much in the way of general growing advice. More frequently than not, each genera consists of a short, general discussion, and a few specific examples of species. In this way, The Curious World of Carnivorous Plants follows the traditional model of carnivorous plant books.
Overall, I like The Curious World of Carnivorous Plants, but I think it's more geared towards the biology of the plants and their habitats than their cultivation.
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