Ponds, Watergardens, and Koi for the Truly Inept Review

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Ponds, Watergardens, and Koi for the Truly Inept Review(My copy was not spiral bound. I had forgotten that this was the one that should have been spiral bound -- a serious quibble, in some regards, because it is nice to have spiral-bound things when one is toting them about in active use!)
On to the review: I am also just beginning to keep koi, although I have been admiring them for many years. Of course, this year, the bookstores and pet shops in my area do not stock much in the way of books the subject (in fact I have found all of one, which is rather down from the variety on the shelves last year), so I have been relying on amazon and the internet in general to review and select a few start-up titles. We have an existing natural pond, and what are probably other good factors in our favor, which are offset by my personal handicaps when it comes to details and hard work. Of course, I acquired a mixed dozen+ fish (nishikigoi and feeder comets) BEFORE doing my homework. In Ms. Mattingly's favor, she speaks well of the feeder fish too.
So after some research, I purchased this title as well as How to Keep Koi: An Essential Guide, by David Twigg. I highly recommend both titles, although with some I guess they are called caveats. HTKK is a moderately detailed book with lots of illustrations, and is available with amazon's special upgrade so you can view it online straightaway upon ordering it. So it is suitable for all rational beginners, I should think. But this review is not about that book (I do recommend it as a companion to Mattingly's volume though). This book, Ponds, Watergardens, and Koi for the Truly Inept, is charming and realistic from the get-go. Be forewarned, though: it needs some serious editing. It is full of typos/spelling errors, punctuation errors, and the like. There aren't nearly enough photos, and most of the images that it does have are of very poor quality. One suspects it was produced by a vanity press. Still, what it lack in detail and photos, it makes up for in being a real breather from information overload. I would have liked more and better illustrations -- but I would not trade the text in this book for another generic koi photodocumentary. I like the explanations and the way she puts things into useful perspectives. This is sort of a "narrative style textbook."
For example, in the opening pages, Ms. Mattingly briefly shares the tragic tale of her initial encounter with keeping koi, and then contrasts it with the longer story of meeting an advanced and competent koi hobbyist family a few years later. The book goes on from there, introducing the various elements of keeping koi, from water quality to protecting your pets from predators, and safety concerns, and so forth, all in a very non-wordy, straightforward and unpretentious style that makes me want to sit outside and read it to my fish as well as my children. It's that readable.
Highly recommended to anyone with a sense of humor. If you like your reference books to be all seriousness, you may want to pass on this one (then again, you may like to give a copy as a gift to someone less serious, and they will see a whole new side of you... couldn't hurt).Ponds, Watergardens, and Koi for the Truly Inept OverviewThe perfect book for the water garden or koi buff!Funny, witty, and wry, its a delightful read even if you're only thinking about building a pond.Factually right on the mark, but easy to understand.Loads of pictures, diagrams, charts, etc.Full color.174 pages.Spiral bound so it'll lie flat - very useful when you're trying to follow directions!Glossary.Index.

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