A fascinating book is hampered by its approach to citations.

Ash by Edward Parker 2021. Reaktion Books Ltd Spoiler Alert! (and Summary?) Edward Parker’s Ash [which book is here appraised] is a title in Reaktion Books’ Botanical series. Having read any of my previous views on books in this collection (e.g. here, here, and here), you will know that that information is really all you […]

Roots to seeds: 400 years of Oxford botany by Stephen A Harris 2021. Bodleian Library Botanic gardens are important resources, both for plants and people. For example they have a major role in helping humanity manage the challenge of conserving the world’s floral diversity (e.g. here, and here) (Ross Mounce et al., Nature Plants 3: […]

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany, 2nd edition by Michael J Balick and Paul Alan Cox 2021. CRC Press Some books have an iconic status in their field. Take, for example, Balick and Cox’s 1996/7 Plants, People, and Culture. This title seems to have been cited as further reading in every textbook on […]

The Nation of Plants, by Stefano Mancuso 2021. Other Press. Who’s in charge of the Earth? Aside from religioso-spiritual responses to this question, the mantle of this awesome responsibility appears to be have been assumed by us humans. It’s an important, if somewhat daunting, task, so it’s reasonable to ask how are we doing with […]

A lifestyle guide where plants take the lead instead of sitting in the background.

A book that promises information about gardening for bumblebees delivers much more.

Around the World in 80 Plants by Jonathan Drori 2021. Laurence King Publishing Ltd. In my review of Jonathan Drori’s Around the World in 80 Trees [‘80 Trees’], I suggested there were many more tree species worthy of being celebrated in such a book (or books). Whilst I don’t know if my comments influenced the […]

In Defense of Plants: An Exploration into the Wonder of Plants by Matt Candeias 2021. Mango Publishing. Having read a lot of books from a plants-and-people perspective lately, I’d forgotten the sheer joy of reading about plants for their own sake as awesome products of nature. That pleasure was brought back to me by In […]

Amber Waves: The extraordinary biography of wheat, from wild grass to world megacrop by Catherine Zabinski 2020. The University of Chicago Press. Biographies are usually written about people. However, Catherine Zabinski’s Amber Waves [which book is here appraised] goes one better and writes about a plant, as its sub-title – The extraordinary biography of wheat, […]

Berries by Victoria Dickenson 2020. Reaktion Books Ltd. Even though I’m a Botanist I’ve never had a great understanding of fruits and seeds. I am however, aware that the fruit botanically known as a berry has a very specific technical definition and meaning. I was therefore, and understandably, a little concerned that Berries by Victoria […]

Chrysanthemum by Twigs Way 2020. Reaktion Books Ltd. Despite being a declared lover of plants, I didn’t include ‘mums’ – as chrysanthemums are commonly known – amongst the plants that I consider most interesting. It was therefore with some misgivings that I approached Chrysanthemum by Twigs Way (which book is here appraised). However, I’m happy […]