Frederick Warne Publishers Ltd; Rev Ed edition (30 The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) - How to identify wild plants, trees
Reviews
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Date of last review
3
7723
Tue 7, February, 2012
Recommended By
Average Purchase Price
100% of reviewers
£17.66
Quality
Value
Performance
10.00
10.00
10.00
Description:
This wild flower identification guide was first published in 1981 and is still widely accepted as the best of its kind for its combination of meticulous illustrations and the use of keys to aid recognition. For this new edition, the Latin names have been revised in accordance with the current classification system. It is now published as the ideal book for the serious student of British and north-west European wild plants, providing a bridge between picture identification guides and the non-illustrated academic floras.
Registered: March 2007 Location: Broad Hinton (thats near swindon) Posts: 871
Review Date: Wed 17, October, 2007
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: £19.99| Rating: 10
Strengths:
clear concise and brilliant keys
Weaknesses:
It seems odd to be giving such a glowing review of this book. The previous edition was complicated and not very user friendly, but the revised edition is really really good. Its clear and concise and has good structural diagrams at the front. The keys have also been reworked and are now much clearer and are easy to use. The illustrations have also been reworked and are now much clearer than previous editions were. Its a fab book for the serious amatuer, and although its quite big and a bit weighty its well worth taking out and about with you. Depending on where you get it it comes with a handy wipe clean cover as well, in case you drop it in the mud whilst trying to ID something small!
------------------------------ I enjoy my life...its the only one I've got
Deb London Commander of the Wild Empire
Registered: July 2010 Location: London Posts: 4437
Review Date: Tue 5, October, 2010
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: £14.00| Rating: 10
Strengths:
Extent and depth of coverage
Weaknesses:
My favourite natural history book that I've bought this year. It covers native and many introduced species of flowering plants. I was pleasantly surprised at the range of coverage. I don't find the book heavy at all. In fact, for the amount of information, it is surprisingly light. My book came with a wipe-clean cover.
An absolute joy to own.
------------------------------ ﻬஐ I'M Å ℱℜ€Å₭ ◐f ℕÅ₮υℜ€ ◕‿- ❀❧
AlphaZeroOne Wild Member
Registered: December 2006 Location: Worcestershire Posts: 172
Review Date: Tue 7, February, 2012
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: £19.00| Rating: 10
Strengths:
Concise, precise, authoritive, perfect balance of information against illustrations and well laid out.
Weaknesses:
It's as near perfect as is possible
I can't think of a time when, having purchased a book (and my shelves groan under the weight of my collection) when I thought "perfect". For me, this book is almost the missing link between my long interest in all things natural history and actually setting about to do something practical in trying to photograph, ID and record plant species. Unless you are an expert, don't expect to pick this book up and find answers to all those questions about plants that have been bugging you for years. I have found that the learning curve to using this book effectively is a steep one and it needs lots of practice and patience - especially to use the large array of keys. I am still struggling with this aspect but am slowly improving. For the amateur botanist, there are many technical and scientific terms to get a grip of but the very detailed (and illustrated) glossary is perfect and very informative. I take this book just about everywhere I go and I can't wait for the spring to come so that I can get 'out there' and start photographing and recording some of the local flora. If you are looking for one serious book on British flora, look no further.
------------------------------ Argue for your limitations, and they are yours!
