16.
The Oxford Book of Trees is the latest in a
series of natural history identification books with
a very mixed standard. Oxfords helpfully supplied a
duplicated glowing review of the book all ready for
me to copy. In fact the book does not live up to its
publisher's opinion of it. A book like this succeeds
or fails on the quality of its illustrations. This
one fails. The text is much better - as one would
expect from such a great authority as Professor Clapham.
If you want a book to identify any tree (wild or
cultivated) likely to be seen in Britain, then compare
this volume with the Collins Guide "The Trees of
Britain and Northern Europe" by Alan Mitchell.
Mitchell's book is cheaper, has better illustrations
and will fit in your pocket or car glove compartment.
Sorry Oxfords.
Fallow Deer by Don and Norma Chapman is the best
natural history book I have seen for a long time. As
well as being the definitive monograph on the species
it has a special interest for Field Club members
because the authors' own researches on fallow deer
grew from the Essex Deer Survey. If you have ever
helped with the deer catches or counts at South Weald,
tramped Essex woods in search of deer signs or boiled
bones in the dungeons at the Passmore Edwards Museum
during the early phase of the deer survey, then this
book will bring back memories. There are plenty of
photographs - including some colour- and most have not
been published elsewhere. The authors have been
thoroughly scientific in their approach and (unlike so
many authors) have bothered to provide a really good
index and bibliography. The publishers deserve con-
gratulation for producing the book so beautifully on
good quality paper that even smells nice, with elegant
letter-press type and a high quality hard binding.
Having said all that you probably won't be surprised at
the £7.80 price tag. Remember to order direct from the
publisher on a form supplied by the Essex Naturalists
Trust - then you have the consolation that the Trust