Product Description

The definitive, fully-illustrated guide to the trees of Britain and non-Mediterranean Europe. This brand-new field guide to the trees of northern Europe contains some of the finest original tree illustrations ever produced. The introduction contains illustrations of the main leaves, buds, and firs you are likely to find, and these provide the starting point for identification by leading you to a 'key' species. Within each tree family there is a list of key species and a guide to the most important features to look for when identifying a particular tree from that family. Then individual species are clearly described and a detailed illustration is given on the same page. Covering all the tree species found outside the major arboretums, from the olive tree to the eucalyptus, this is one of the most important tree guides to have appeared in the last 20 years. The illustrations are annotated with essential identification features, and the text highlights the most important things to look for to aid fast and accurate identification. There is also coverage of all the species native to Southern Europe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3299 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
Praise for the small format edition: 'Entertaining and informative. A visual delight' BBC Wildlife 'A remarkable new guide' Guardian 'Outstanding colour paintings!precise and accurate' The Times 'David More's illustrations astonish by their beauty and detail' New Scientist 'Essential for 21st century treehuggers everywhere' Matt James 'Makes identifying trees a piece of cake!something all tree lovers will want to have' Garden News 'As compact as a complete handbook can possibly be' Best of British 'A must for all tree huggers and lovers' The Ecologist 'In the firmament of tree specialists, Dr Owen Johnson is a definite star' The Field 'In addition to the detailed descriptions and illustrations of bark, seed, and leaf, and well-planned structure, lies a host of information gems' Countryside Voice 'This nicely packaged and presented book is a must' Tree News 'Suffice to say that this book is an absolute must-have' New Woodworking

About the Author
Owen Johnson is Assistant Registrar to the Tree Register, and has spent the last ten years studying and recording trees at many hundreds of estates around Britain; he also manages a nature reserve for Sussex wildlife Trust. He is author of The Sussex Tree Book (1998) and The Kent Tree Book. David More has been a botanical illustrator for many years. His previous books include Collins Gem Trees.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful little guide, beautifully illustrated
This is a wonderful guide, both small and comprehensive. It combines accurate and concise descriptions with beautiful illustrations of the whole tree, the leaves, the flowers and the fruit. An interesing feature: it tells you if a tree is indigenous and, if not, when it was introduced. The only downside is that it doesn't show pictorally what each tree looks like during different seasons, which can sometimes make identification tricky. Some guides show each tree in two seasons, half during one season and half during another.

The Best Tree guide - Wonderful!
This is a wonderful book. The illustrations are superb and the species accounts are accurate. The layout is convenient, with plates and text on the same pages - no crossing back and forth, from pictures to text.

The book really is the best I've seen, and being a forestry student, I have seen a lot.

This book provides an ideal field tool to tree ID as well as being a good book to read at home.

The compact size and hardback should prove to be practical features for the field naturalist.

For experts not beginners.
This book gives great emphasis to the subtle differences between closely related species. If you want to tell a hop-hornbeam from an Eastern hop-hornbeam, this book is for you. If you're still trying to distinguish a hornbeam from a hazel then steer well clear and get a pocket guide instead.