Product Description

'Trees are wildlife just as deer or primroses are wildlife. Each species has its own agenda and its own interactions with human activities !' Written by one of Britain's best-known naturalists, Woodlands offers a fascinating new insight into the trees of the British landscape that have filled us with awe and inspiration throughout the centuries. Looking at such diverse evidence as the woods used in buildings and ships, and how woodland has been portrayed in pictures and photographs, Rackham traces British woodland through the ages, from the evolution of wildwood, through man's effect on the landscape, modern forestry and its legacy, and recent conservation efforts and their effects. In his lively and thoroughly engaging style, Rackham explores woodlands and their history, through names, surveys, mapping and legal documents, archaeology, photographs and works of art, thus offering an utterly compelling insight into British woodlands and how they have come to shape a national obsession.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39774 in Books
• Published on: 2010-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 480 pages

Review
'Rackham has been a great champion for real woods and against the endless postwar conifer plantations -- a campaign now largely won. Here he is writing not as a conservationist, but simply to share his prodigious knowledge of woods and trees with the reader.' The Times '! A magnificent compendium of evocations, celebrations and warnings -- the harvest of a long lifetime, gathered slowly but with unflagging passion.' Guardian 'The Woodland Trust welcomes Oliver Rackham's latest book celebrating the glories of our irreplaceable ancient woodland heritage. Restoration of ancient woods and creation of new woods is vital to creating a countryside which is more sympathetic to woodland wildlife, and which delivers benefits to society.' Woodland Trust

About the Author
Oliver Rackham is a name synonymous with woodlands. He has written various books on trees and woodland, most recently a second edition of Ancient Woodland: its history, vegetation, and uses in England. Dr Rackham (OBE) is currently Praelector Rhetoricus at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Customer Reviews

Great Book
Anyone who has a deep interest in the history of our woodlands and landscape would have read at least a couple of Dr Rackham's excellent books. His most famous is the History of the Countryside (Dent 1986) which gives the reader a real insight to just how our landscape came to be. His work Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape (Dent 1976) is long accepted as the best work on the subject, Rackham's book being both a comprehensive history of Britain's woodlands and a fieldwork guide that presents tree individually and as part of the landscape.

After many years we now have Woodlands. It's been quite a wait for Rackham fans but worth every minute. This new work focuses on new historical discoveries and theories. It puts woodlands within today's context. In previous books the then current issues of inappropriate management by bodies, such the Forestry Commission and the National Trust, and the threat of acid rain are mentioned. We now have Climate Change and the ongoing march of over-development. The carbon neutral con-trick is highlighted by Dr Rackham. He points out that planning trees cannot stop Climate Change, as they can't live long enough. He continues to point out the dangers of inappropriate tree planting and the need to manage and sustain our woodland heritage. The ongoing menace of grey squirrels also gets a mention.

This book, aimed at the non-specialist, investigates what woods are and how they function. In lively style, Rackham takes us through how woods evolved and how they are managed. Basic botany such as understanding roots, longevity and tree-rings are covered. The outline of woodland history, pollen analysis and wildwood, archives of woodland and how to study them, different types of woodland, the rise and fall of modern forestry. The book is illustrated with colour photographs.

A magnificent volume
Oliver Rackham is both an engaging and crafty writer. His well known History of the English Landscape is available in several guises and so he has rather cornered the market so to speak. What cannot be denied is that his books are a delight to read and this volume can save you the trouble of buying all his others...It is astonishing. It is humbling to be told just how little we know about the woodland history of Britain and a fascinating historical journey. I am studying woodland history at college and I cannot imagine a better text to prepare a student of ecology or landscape history for this vast subject. I have spent the past few weeks utterly engrossed. Tremendous , magnificent. Another great book in the New Naturalist series and a marvellous record of our current knowledge by a great natural history writer. Buy it and your perception of landscape will be changed forever.

Not what I was expecting - It was much better than that!
What I thought would be a ramble through a wood turned out to be a fascinating and enlightening guided walk through both time and nature, lead by a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. This book takes the reader through the history and ecology of woodlands in Great Britain and Ireland, showing how woods have been managed (and mismanaged) over the centuries. A must for anyone interested in the countryside and how it came about.